Because I Want To
by truegleek
Summary: Series of out-of-order one-shots chronicling Sam and Mercedes' romance from McKinley High to a family of their own.
1. Thanksgiving Surprises

_**Thanksgiving Surprises**_

Mercedes sat in the airport terminal, flipping through _Vogue _while waiting for her flight to Lima for Thanksgiving. It was a much-needed weekend away, although she second-guessed herself on how smart it would be to leave school when finals were right around the corner. Kurt sat down next to her, holding a pumpkin spice latte over her magazine. "Thank you," she said, smiling at her friend.

"Seeing anything good in there?" He asked, leaning over to look at the page she was on. "Feeling inspired?"

She shrugged and sipped her drink. "A couple of things here and there. I don't know about feeling inspired, but I do like the colors this season."

Kurt nodded just as both of their phones started going off. They looked at each other, confused, but laughing. He had a phone call and she had a text message from Sam. Smiling, she opened it.

_**Hey beautiful! Made it to the airport? **_It read.

_**Yep! Kurt and I are here, all checked in and everything. Did your family make it in last night?**_

She sat her phone on her lap while she waited for his response. Kurt had excused himself, probably on the phone with Blaine. Since moving to New York a year and a half ago, her friendship with Kurt had been looking up. They weren't going to the same school but still made sure to see each other as often as they could, making up for the lost time in high school and now their relationship was stronger than ever. Her phone buzzed again.

_**Mom, Dad, Stevie and Stacy are all here and accounted for. They told me to say hello and they miss you. But none of them miss you as much as I do. ;)**_

"Awww," Mercedes said out loud just as Kurt sat back down.

He looked at her and asked, "Sam?" She nodded. "Awww, aren't you cute?" He dramatically batted his eyelashes.

"Whatever, Kurt! Don't act like you weren't just talking to Blaine," Mercedes replied as she quickly sent her message: _**I miss you, too. Just a few more weeks until I get to show you how much. ;)**_

They were planning a week away together over winter break as their Thanksgiving and Christmas to make up for school forcing them apart. While she had gotten out of Ohio to New York along with Rachel, Kurt and Tina, Sam had gone back to Tennessee to live with his grandparents while attending Vanderbilt.

They had been together for almost two years with a really dark period after their first semester of college, unsure about whether or not a long distance relationship would work and teetered dangerously close to breaking up. However, they'd managed to overcome it through video chat "therapy" sessions with Tina and Mike, and a game-changing conversation when Mercedes went to visit him in Tennessee. Some days were harder than others, but they found a way to push through it by counting down to visits, phone calls and frequent video chats. Sometimes they even wrote letters. Tina had been a huge help. She and Mike were also in a long-distance relationship and made it seem so easy. They always had good advice.

Kurt scoffed, placing a hand on his chest. "I wasn't!" She shot him a look of disbelief. "Okay, I was. He said hello, by the way."

"How is he doing? How's school?"

"He's doing well, school is going well. We're going to go see a movie tonight. You're welcome to come along, though I'm sure you'll probably have other plans," he said ominously.

"I'll think about it. I don't want to impose on your _date_with Blaine."

"It's not a date."

"It is."

"Finn's coming."

"No, he's not."

"How do you know?"

"You haven't asked."

"How did you know?!"

"Kurt, I _know _you!"

Kurt and Blaine broke up amicably not long after the move to New York with the possibility of getting back together once Blaine transferred to a university in the Big Apple after wrapping up his core subjects in Ohio. They both went out on dates, but as far as Mercedes knew, neither was dating anyone seriously.

Another message from Sam was waiting for her: _**Ms. Jones! You can't put those thoughts in my mind so early in the morning and in my grandpa's house...**_

Cocking an eyebrow, she bit her lip, containing her grin as she typed her reply: _**You know you like it.**_

"Oh my GOD!" Kurt exclaimed with an exasperated sigh once the text sent. "You two are totally sending dirty texts to each other right now. You've got your 'I can't wait to do unspeakable things to you' face on."

Mercedes gaped at him, a smile tugged at her lips. "We're no-" Pursing his lips, Kurt dared her to finish the lie. "They're not that dirty. Maybe _implied _dirty..." She ended in a mumble.

He shook his head. "For shame, Mercy..." he said, a playful twinkle in his eye letting her know he was joking.

"Says the guy who's _not_ going on a date with Blaine. And I have my _what _face on?" She asked in a laugh just as her phone called for attention again.

_**Keep talking like that and I may have to see you sooner than a couple of weeks.**_

_**Not like I'm going to stop you. **_She sent back.

"That one! Right there!" Kurt said, pointing excitedly as she drank more of her latte. "Your eyebrow goes up, then you poke your lips out a little, but then draw them back and bite your bottom lip while smiling like a seductress." He acted it out as he explained it to her and Mercedes nearly spit out her drink. After swallowing, she couldn't help but throw her head back with a loud laugh.

"I do _not_! Do I really?"

He nodded frantically. "You really do. I pay attention to these things."

"Anyway, let's change the subject. Tell me again, how's _Blaine_?" She asked with a wink. Kurt waved her off, taking a book out of his bag and starting to read. Without turning his head, he looked at her and smiled before leaning over and bumping her lightly.

"Love you," he said softly.

"Love you, too."

She saw that she had another message from Sam. _**Sweet temptation. I'm heading down to breakfast. Call me when you get to Lima. I love you! XXXXXXXX (overkill?)**_

Laughing, she replied: _**Maybe a little. I'll call you when I get home. I love you, too. **_

Going back home was always emotional for her. She had no intention of moving back to Lima, but Mercedes missed being around her family. She missed her brothers goofing off, she miss her mother singing as she did her housework and she missed her father's cooking. After spending an hour talking to Sam once she got home, Mercedes went to help her parents wrap up Thanksgiving dinner for the next day.

She inhaled deeply as she walked into the kitchen. "This smells amazing," she sang, leaning over to see the cake batter in the bowl on the counter. Mercedes started to dip a finger into it when her mother swatted her hand away.

"I'll give you the spoon after I put the cake in the oven," the older woman said, smiling at her daughter.

"Just the spoon? Not the bowl, too?" Mercedes replied, smiling angelically.

"Nope! Already called the bowl!" One of her brothers called from the living room.

"You aren't even in here helping, Adrian! How do you have dibs on anything?"

"Excuse me? We helped this morning," Brian chimed in as he came into the kitchen to grab a Coke. Mercedes made a face at him and he copied her before heading back to the living room.

"Okay," Mercedes said, rubbing her hands together, "What do you need me to do?"

The next day, Mercedes slept in, something she hadn't been able to do in months, reveling in the moment. It wasn't until her father knocked on the bedroom door, saying people were starting to come over, that she slowly started taking the steps to get ready for the day. She narrowed her eyes at the sunlight coming through the window. People were already starting to show up? What time was it? She rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 12:30 p.m. Groaning, she sat up. They usually started eating around 2 or 3, depending on when her parents caught her and her brothers sneaking bites of food.

Mercedes took her time getting ready, coming downstairs after an hour all made up and ready to be seen by people other than her parents and brothers.

"You took your time," Adrian commented with a smirk at the end of the staircase as he was going up.

"Was there a reason I needed to be rushing?" Mercedes asked. "You aren't even dressed!" She exclaimed when she realized he was in his sweatpants and an old ratty t-shirt that she couldn't believe he hadn't thrown out.

"I didn't need to be dressed yet," he said with a shrug and she looked confused. Adrian disappeared into his room.

As she got closer to the living room, the voices in the living room grew clearer. She heard her dad and Brian, but there was a third voice she couldn't place right away. Or rather, it couldn't be. She had to be hearing things. Slowing down her pace, she was almost tiptoeing when she walked through the entryway.

She wasn't surprised to see the football game on or that her brother was already munching on one of the rolls for dinner or even that her father had already cracked open a beer. What did surprise her was that sitting between them on the couch was a third gentleman with slightly messy dirty blond hair.

"Sam?" She asked tentatively, stopping right behind the couch.

All three men turned to look at her, and her breath caught in her throat when Sam smiled up at her.

They stared at each other for a moment before her father broke the silence. "We didn't think you were ever coming down," he joked. "I thought I was going to have to send Sam back to Tennessee," he added, patting Sam on the back.

"Daddy!" Mercedes exclaimed, slightly embarrassed as her father laughed. Brian excused himself to go change clothes. She turned her attention back to Sam. "What are you doing here?!" Sam stood as she walked around the couch and walked right into his open arms.

"Surprise!" He said as he hugged her. When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes. Mercedes went up on her toes to kiss him gently.

Her father got up from the couch. "Don't get too frisky get here."

"Oh my God, you did not just say 'frisky'," Mercedes said into Sam's chest as she hugged him again.

Mr. Jones smirked as he turned to leave. "Yes, I did. I'm the head of this household and I can say what I please." With that, he exited the room, repeating the word 'frisky' over and over as he left.

"I swear he only gets like that when you're around," she mumbled with a small laugh. "What are you doing here?!" She asked again, backing away and smacking his chest.

Sam laughed. "I'm here for Thanksgiving!"

"What? Didn't your family just get to Tennessee on Tuesday? You just left them?!"

"I'd like to think you're kind of my family, too, Cedes." She smiled, but her eyes narrowed at him accusingly. "This has been planned for months. I had a pre-Thanksgiving with my family last night and then flew in this morning."

"I can not believe this... how long will you be here?"

"Until Saturday morning."

"Sam..." Mercedes said, unable to stop a tear from rolling down her cheek.

"Don't start crying now," he said with a chuckle, brushing a thumb softly across her cheek to wipe it away.

"I can't help it. You caught me off guard! I can't believe you! I don't even know what to say right now." She said, turning away from him and walking across the room. Sam caught her by the arm when she came back to him and pulled her close.

"Then don't say anything," he replied, looking at her in that way that made her knees go weak before leaning down to capture her lips with his own.  
Stuffed with their Thanksgiving meal, Sam and Mercedes relaxed under a blanket on the hammock in the backyard, away from the last of the guests. "I think I definitely ate more here than I did in Tennessee," he said with a groan, rubbing a hand over his stomach. Mercedes covered it with her own.

"Because you're a pig," she joked. Sam pouted then snorted loudly, making her laugh.

"I just happen to be able to spend the holidays with people who really know how to cook. Think there's any pie left?"

"You're still thinking about food?"

"That's all I think about..." he said dreamily. "Besides you, of course."

"And school, I hope," Mercedes added for him.

"And school." He sighed and got quiet.

"Something wrong?" Mercedes asked, turning her head to look at him.

No-yeah-no, well, no...not really. It's just...you know how you can be really certain about some things while others just seem really foggy?"

She nodded, but remained silent.

"I'm just afraid I might be wrong."

"Wrong about what? Your major? Your college?"

"No, none of that, just what happens next, you know? It's like, I know graphic design was the right choice for me, I've been working on some designs of my own and that comic book I told you about, but once I'm out of school and in the real world," he said, putting "real world" in air quotes, "where do I go from there? It's a big gray area."

"That's normal, I think. I feel the same way sometimes..." Mercedes said. "You could do some research, maybe talk to some counselors or something?"

"Yeah, I haven't really done any of that yet."

"Try not to get too freaked out about it. You want to be ahead of the game, but you still have time."

"Ugh, why does school seem to take forever? I just want to get it over with so I can see what else is out there. The only thing I'm really sure about post-college is marrying you and leaving Tennessee," he blurted out in his frustration. Mercedes saw his eyes go wide before he looked over at her shyly. "I mean...Tennessee is great and all, but-"

"You want to marry me?" She asked. That was something she wasn't expecting to hear.

"I was hoping you missed that," Sam said before sitting up. "I'm sorry. Forget I said it."

Mercedes got up from the hammock before she fell off of it from his sudden movement. "That's not exactly something I can immediately forget..."

"Have you ever thought about it?" He asked, hopefully.

She had. A lot, in fact. Mercedes had even practiced writing her first name with his last, but that wasn't something she planned to share with him. "Yeah, of course I have," she admitted. Were they really about to have this conversation right now?

"I'm not about to propose to you any time soon or anything. It's just something I've been thinking about...a lot...lately."

"Me too..." She felt bad that she didn't have much more to say about it, but once again, he'd caught her by surprise.

"Sorry for freaking you out," he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. Mercedes walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest.

"I would love nothing more than to become Mrs. Samuel Evans someday." He kissed the top of her head. "It's just not the talk I was expecting to have tonight."

"Too heavy, huh?"

"Considering all the food we ate tonight? Yeah, way heavy." He laughed, wrapping his arms around her. They stood in comforting silence for a while before Mercedes spoke again, "What are you thankful for, Sam?"

He pondered for a moment. "Er...hmm...I'm thankful for my family and my friends, the new Green Lantern comic book and being able to have two awesome Thanksgiving dinners when a few years ago we couldn't even afford one." Mercedes squeezed him a little tighter, remembering when the Evans family went through that difficult time. "And I'm thankful for having a girlfriend who doesn't flip out on me too badly when I stick my foot in my mouth." He kissed her forehead as she giggled, then leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. "What about you?" He asked.

"I am thankful to be home for Thanksgiving after missing it last year. For my family and my friends. Aaannnddd for my mama's sweet potato pie."

Sam cleared his throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"No, I don't think so..." Mercedes said, hiding her smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." He tickled her side, making her squeal. "Sam!"

"I think you're forgetting something, Mercedes. Your list sounds incomplete."

"You can't criticize someone's list of what they're thankful for!" She said, squirming as he continued to tickle her. "Stop!" She exclaimed through laughter.

"Says who?"

"Says me!" He didn't let up. "Sam... I had a lot of soda...tickling me... is not... okay..." she managed to say. He kept at it. "Okay, okay! I'm thankful for having an amazing boyfriend named Sam!" Mercedes escaped his grasp, then added quickly, "Who wants to marry me."

Sam blushed but didn't deny it, just fondly looked on as Mercedes laughed at herself and his embarrassment. She slowly walked back over to him, an eyebrow cocked and biting her bottom lip in an attempt to contain her smile. He knew that look and couldn't stop his body from reacting to it. As they kissed on the back patio, Sam knew this was as far as they'd get tonight, but the future looked really bright.


	2. Spilling the Beans

_**Spilling the Beans**_

Mercedes was excited to finally get to spend some time with Tina. School ended a few weeks ago and they had plans to meet at The Lima Bean for some girl time. Mercedes had been spending a lot of time with Sam lately, and as great as that was, she didn't want to be one of those girls who got lost in their relationship. So when Tina called, saying that she wanted to get together, Mercedes didn't hesitate to say yes.

They sat down with their drinks, and Tina watched her wordlessly, her expression almost unreadable if it weren't for the squint.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mercedes asked cautiously.

"I'm just wondering when you're going to spill," she replied, taking a deliberately slow sip of her latte.

"Spill? Spill what? My coffee?"

Tina sat down her cup. "If 'coffee' is the codeword for you and Sam," she said plainly, raising an eyebrow.

Mercedes froze, a handful of possible reactions flying through her mind to pick from. Should she feign ignorance and claim it a rumor? Confess? Deny it? Run? Her lack of response was enough for Tina, who started smiling.

"It _is _true!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Since when?"

Smiling and shaking her head in surrender, Mercedes confessed, "Officially for two weeks."

"And unofficially?"

"Two weeks before New York." Things had shifted with Sam after prom. Their innocent flirting became not-so-innocent, they started meeting in the auditorium during lunch, and spent more time together outside of school. Soon enough, Sam started bringing up dating and Mercedes wasn't turning him down.

The soft-spoken girl's jaw dropped, excitement never leaving her face. "That's over a month! I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Tina said, grabbing Mercedes' hands.

"We didn't tell _anyone_."

"I had to find out from Mike."

"How did _he _know?"

Tina shrugged. "He said he had a feeling about it. So I started paying more attention to the two of you, and Puck's party confirmed it in my eyes."

Mercedes remembered shooting Sam dozens of "STOP" looks at that party when he kept staring at her a little too long. She didn't think Tina saw them sneak off together. They made sure they didn't leave the room at the same time, but maybe they hadn't been as stealthy as she thought.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only if you're paying attention." Tina smiled reassuringly. "I won't tell anyone. But..._why _aren't you telling anyone?"

"There was so much going on with Nationals and we were still testing the waters. Our first real date-as in, not babysitting or having lunch in the auditorium-was in New York. There wasn't much to tell."

"That's a lot to tell! Your first real date with Sam. That's so exciting! And romantic." Tina sighed happily and Mercedes couldn't help but smile. It was sweet that her friend could still sound like a blushing schoolgirl about her relationship when she was in a ridiculously cute, serious relationship of her own.

"After that, we just wanted to enjoy our time getting to know each other. It's nice being able to be together at our own pace without the pressure of everyone knowing and wanting to be all in our business."

Passing no judgment, Tina nodded, her purple-streaked black ponytail bouncing. "I could understand that." She paused. "You seem so happy. There's a glow, really!"

"I am happy," Mercedes said dreamily, smiling.

"I'm happy for you. Sam's a good guy." Tina squeezed her hand.

"Thanks, T." She squeezed back, then withdrew so she could drink her mocha. "Enough on that, though, how is _your _summer going?"

"So far, _amazing_. I'm almost expecting someone to burst my bubble. It's that good."

"Wow, girl. Do tell!" Tina began telling Mercedes about her summer, which included a new job, an exciting family vacation, and new developments in her relationship with Mike that had Mercedes squealing with glee.

In the middle of telling Tina about her run-in with Rachel at the mall, Mercedes checked the time on her cell phone. She was meeting up with Sam that afternoon, an hour before Stacy and Stevie would be ready to be picked up from camp. She looked up at Tina apologetically.

"Gotta run?" She asked.

"Yeah, Sam's dad has the truck today and we have to pick up the kids from camp."

Tina started laughing.

"What?"

"Did you just hear yourself?" She raised her pitch, "'We have to pick up the kids from camp.' You make it sound like you're married. That's adorable."

"Oh, hush," Mercedes said, laughing to counter her slight embarrassment. They got up from the table and headed outside to the parking lot where they hugged goodbye.

"The four of us. Double date. Soon, okay?" Tina asked as she let go.

"Definitely," Mercedes replied. Tina gave her another blinding grin before they both got into their cars, and she headed to the motel.

* * *

Sam opened the door of the room, a wide grin on his face at the sight of his girlfriend. "Hey, beautiful," he said, swooping down and kissing her. Without breaking away, he pulled her inside by her waist, letting the door slam when it closed. Mercedes placed her hands on his sides as he spun them around, smiling against her mouth. She was dizzy from the kiss when he gently bit her upper lip then drew back. "You look gorgeous." He said, admiring her yellow sweetheart-cut sundress.

Mercedes opened her eyes, blushing when she saw the way he gazed at her. "You're not looking so bad yourself, Evans," she said softly. Sam looked down and to the side, dragging his blue Chuck Taylor-clad foot along the carpet in an "Aw, shucks" manner that made her giggle. He was beaming when he looked at her again.

"How was your coffee date?" He asked, leaning against the table by the window.

"_Very _interesting, actually."

"Is it some girl thing I'm not supposed to know about? Because I'm intrigued..."

He didn't have to press her for an answer. "Tina knows about us," Mercedes said, plopping down onto the bed Sam shared with his younger siblings. "And so does Mike." She added accusingly, raising an eyebrow at her reddening boyfriend. Sam's face transformed into a blank stare, but Mercedes granted him no quarter, locking her eyes on him expectantly. After a minute, he cracked.

"Okay, so, this is what happened-"

"Ooohhh! So the truth comes out!" She exclaimed, amused, throwing a pillow at him.

"Hey!" Sam caught it and held his hands up in defense. "Let me explain!"

She crossed her arms, lips curved in a smile and pressed tightly together as she tried not to laugh. Sam sat on the bed next to her. Placing the pillow in her lap, he shrugged, saying simply, "I was ambushed." He put his head down, covering his face with his hands, and his hair fell forward. "Are you mad?" He asked, peeking through his hair and between his fingers. His eye scrunched at the corner, letting her know he was smiling.

She wasn't. Having someone else know besides their parents was a relief. Now she had someone to gush about her relationship with, and even better, someone who had been able to date the same person for an entire school year without breaking up. Still, she turned her nose to the air and said dramatically, "Yes. I'm mad."

Sam knew she was faking. Though he hadn't been on the receiving end of the fury of Miss Mercedes Jones, he'd witnessed some less fortunate. "Yeeeaaaaah, right." Attacking her with kisses all over her face, he forced her backwards on the bed as he covered her in quick pecks.

Mercedes' face twisted with laughter, her eyes squeezed shut as she pushed against his chest. Sam was relentless. "Okay! Okay!" She exclaimed, finally using her hands to shield her face.

He sat up, satisfied, violently shaking his head to the side to get the hair out of his face.

She snorted, sitting up on her elbows. "You have some serious Bieber hair right now."

"What?!" Sam quickly ran his hands over his hair in all directions, making it somewhat resemble a messy bird's nest, with blond locks sticking up and out every which way. "Better?"

Mercedes stared at him, his hair an absolute wreck, but somehow it worked for him. Of course it worked for him. He probably didn't even realize how good-looking he was, which made him that much more attractive.

She was still getting used to being someone's girlfriend, and the thought of leaning over and kissing him right now made her a little nervous. Sam was always so cool about it, reaching for her hand, hugging her, smooching her until she was weak in the knees like there was nothing else he'd rather do more. And she was becoming addicted to it.

"Mercedes?"

"Hmm?" She snapped out of her thoughts and her eyes focused clearly on him.

He was smirking...and blushing. Sam didn't know what she was thinking, but she'd been looking at him, mouth slightly open with the hint of a smile, her eyes glazed over like she was daydreaming. His embarrassed, crooked grin appeared and Mercedes' replied with a shy, flustered smile of her own. She cleared her throat when she realized they were just sitting there staring at each other. "So... Mike?"

Sam crawled up the bed, sitting against the headboard and held his arms open to her. Mercedes pushed backwards until her back met his side, and turned her legs toward him. "He caught up with me in the hallway on the last day of school..." he began, rubbing her arms tenderly.

"_Sam!" Mike yelled, jogging down the hall to where Sam had just closed his locker. "Walk with me."_  
_  
He started leading Sam away from the exit doors. "What's going on?"_

"_Oh, nothing to worry about," Mike said, patting his back._

"_I _wasn't _worried, but now..."_

_Mike stopped short, looking straight at him. "What's going on with you and Mercedes?" He suddenly asked, surprising Sam into silence._

"_What are you talking about?" Sam asked as color returned to his face. Had she told?_

_Unfazed, Mike replied, "Dude. It's me."_

"_Mike, you can not tell anyone about this, okay?" The other boy nodded. "We're kind of seeing each other."_

"_Kind of? You either are or you aren't."_

"_Fine, we are. How did you even know?"_

"_I have eyes everywhere, man. _Everywhere. _I'm like a ninja," Mike said, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "And Mercedes is awesome. I think you guys are good together." He'd gotten a chance to get to know Mercedes a little through time spent with Tina. Sometimes the three of them would do homework together, cracking jokes about glee club, and talking about the latest in pop culture. It wasn't a frequent thing, but it was enough for Mike to see that the girl was more than Mr. Schue's go-to glory note._

"_Thanks, man."_

"And that was it. He said he wouldn't tell," Sam explained.

"What do you think about telling people about us?" Mercedes asked.

Sam perked up. "Do you want to? That would be awesome."

"At this point it's almost like we're not saying anything for the sake of not saying anything. Everyone is going to find out eventually anyway, right?"

"Eventually," Sam affirmed. "But we don't have to make a big deal about it. Just tell people as we see them."

"That sounds good." Mercedes began tracing his hands softly with her fingers. "Oh!" She turned her head to look up at him. "We have a double date with Tina and Mike coming up soon."

"People are just finding out about us and we're already committed to double dates?"

"You know you want to show me off," Mercedes joked as Sam kissed her forehead.

He couldn't argue with that. "Damn straight."


	3. Not-So Free Time

_**(Not-So) Free Time**_

It was an early morning for the Evans family, everyone was awake at six a.m. or earlier. Mercedes had been excited about the day and planned to be up in time to cook breakfast so they could all eat together instead of the rush of coffee and bagels while their son enjoyed an overflowing bowl of cereal that wouldn't be finished, and their daughter nibbled on a microwaved pancake.

"Go get dressed, Jay. Dad's taking you to school this morning," Mercedes said from the sink, where she was wrapping up washing dishes.

"Dad is?" Jacob asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, Dad is!" Sam matched his son's excited tone as he wiped off the table, post-breakfast.

Jacob looked from Sam to Mercedes, grinning wildly, his nose crinkling up at the bridge before running off to his room.

"I can not get over how much he looks like you when he does that," Mercedes said, shaking her head as she dried her hands.

Sam tossed the dish towel onto the counter then picked Daina up from her high chair. "Does what?" he asked.

"Scrunches his nose all up," she answered, turning to lean on the counter and showing him the facial expression made by the six-year-old. "You always do that. Always have."

"What do you mean, I _always have_?" Sam asked, leaning against the counter opposite her and bouncing Daina on his hip, much to her giggling delight. He kissed the two-year-old on her cheek and she was eager to reciprocate, leaving a wet kiss on his stubbled chin.

Mercedes beamed at them, then answered his question, "You did that all the time in high school. It's what made me suspect you liked me in the first place."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? This?" Sam crinkled the bridge of his nose up, but exaggerated it, just making him look a little angry. Mercedes laughed.

"Well, when you do it like that, it's not as cute. It's best when it's _organic_," she said with a flourish of her hand.

"What?! That is adorable! Right, Daina?" He turned his face to the toddler, scrunching and un-scrunching his nose.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed, copying his actions happily. Daina tapped his nose with her tiny index finger, making Sam giggle despite himself, and he attacked her with an Eskimo kiss. "Daddy!" Daina squealed, shaking her head of dark brown curls.

Mercedes chuckled, crossing her arms as she looked on with love, enjoying the visual proof of how much their children adored their father. Sam looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a smile tugging at his lips. "Uh-oh...I think Mommy's jealous," he mumbled to his daughter.

She scoffed, uncrossing her arms and starting to turn away. "I am not."

Sam swooped in with Daina, holding the child out to her mother. "Give Mommy a kiss, pumpkin," he said, playfully winking at Mercedes.

The little girl held her arms out to Mercedes and was quickly scooped onto her hip. "Kiss, Mommy," Daina requested, pointing to her puckered lips. Mercedes kissed her quickly on the mouth and was met with a wide grin from the small girl. She snuggled against her mother, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

Mercedes looked up at Sam tenderly, gently swaying from side-to-side. Unable to resist, he wrapped his arms around the two main ladies in his life, and kissed his wife sweetly.

"Ew," Jacob said casually, walking back into the kitchen, donning the ninja costume he was wearing to go trick-or-treating the next day.

"Where do you think you're going in that?" Mercedes asked him. Daina lifted her head and looked at her brother.

"School."

Sam smirked and looked at Mercedes, who gave him a stern look. "I don't think so, dude."

Jacob whined, "_Why?_You said I didn't have to wear my school clothes today because we could pick what we wanted to wear!"

That was true. It was a Free Dress day at his school, and Mercedes had explained to him that it meant he didn't have to wear his uniform. They'd spent the previous afternoon raiding his closet and drawers for the "perfect" outfit. "What about the clothes we picked out yesterday?"

"I changed my mind."

Sam knelt down in front of his son, adjusting the hood of the costume as he spoke, "We don't want you messing up your costume a day before Halloween."

"I'm not going to mess it up," Jacob replied, shaking his head. "Promise!" He started tapping his foot on the floor and crossed his arms with a pout, a stance he took when fighting the urge to cry. "None of my friends will see it unless I wear it to school."

Mercedes put Daina down just as Sam turned back to look at her again. If Jacob wanted to go to school dressed as a lion, she knew he would let him. The letter that came from the school _did _say students could wear costumes as long as their faces remained uncovered. She caved. "Okay, you can wear it." Jacob ran over and hugged her. "But you have to take off the hood and the face mask."

"_Awwwww! But I-" _he started to wail.

"Hey," Sam said authoritatively without the hint of a smile. "None of that."

Seeing the look on his father's face, Jacob pulled away from Mercedes and began untying the fabric covering his mouth.

"See, you still look ninja-fied," Mercedes said, holding her hands up at chest-level and bouncing on her toes as if preparing to take him on.

"Mom..." Jacob said in fond exasperation.

"What? I have some moves, you know!" She started pretending to karate chop him, and he started laughing, hiding his face in his hands. Mercedes stood up straight. "We're not even outside the house and he's embarrassed," she said, ruffling his hair.

"Speaking of being out of the house. It's time to get this one to school," Sam pointed out, looking at the clock on the microwave. "Want me to take Dee?"

Mercedes turned to look for Daina, who was now wearing Jacob's face mask from his ninja costume as a headband. "Jacob," she said, looking at him, amused.

"She wanted to wear it!" he insisted, shrugging.

"Go get your coat," she said, waving him off. "Do you want to go with Daddy, Dee?"

She nodded enthusiastically and Sam picked her up. "Guess she's coming with me," he said to Mercedes, scrunching his nose at her. She covered her smile with her hand. "What?" Sam asked. Mercedes shook her head, and he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before slowly turning away. "Okay...let's go get your jacket, sugar." He tickled Daina as they walked to the hall closet.

Mercedes helped Jacob button his coat and checked his backpack before Sam returned with Daina on his heels, adorable in her light blue zip-up hoodie decorated with all of the Disney princesses. She'd even put on some pink earmuffs. Mercedes knew that had been her choice. Daina put them on every time she left the house ever since she bought them for her. She and Sam had to pry them away from her on more than one occasion.

"Ready?" Sam asked, taking Daina by the hand. Jacob nodded, already heading for the door. "We'll be back." He kissed Mercedes quickly before herding the two children out to the SUV.

While Sam was gone, Mercedes went to get dressed, putting on a pair of boot-cut blue jeans and a mauve sweater. She was happy Sam had taken the day off with her, so they could have a day alone-with Daina-to enjoy. The car ride would more than likely put Daina to sleep, which meant she'd get to spend some much-desired quality time with her husband when he got home.

She flipped through her sketchbook, looking at some designs she'd drawn up during the week. She was happy with most of them, but there were a few stinkers that needed some reworking. Being able to carry more of her original creations in her boutique was a dream come true, and if things stayed on the rise as they were, her goal of eighty percent of her inventory being designed by Mercedes Evans would be met.

Feeling a burst of inspiration, she began tampering with the old sketches, quickly losing track of time. An hour and a half had passed by the time Sam returned. The trip usually took about half an hour.

"Sorry that took so long," he said, walking over to the couch.

"Hey," she said as Sam leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Where's Daina?"

He took off his jacket, draping it over the back of the couch. "Mom called when I was on my way back. She wanted to take her to the zoo today. There's some Halloween thing going on. I would have called to let you know before I dropped her off, but I didn't think you'd mind." He plopped down onto the couch next to her. "Do you?"

She shook her head. "No work and no kids...so how should we spend our day?" Mercedes asked, closing her sketchbook and setting it on the coffee table. "These days are so rare, we should have planned something. A trip to Hawaii or something," she joked.

"Or we could backpack through Europe," he suggested.

"As long as we make it to Paris."

"Of course! And then back home just in time to get Jay from school?"

Mercedes laughed. "I wish."

Sam pulled her legs into his lap, massaging her calves gently. "A transporter would be really convenient right now."

"We should definitely look into investing in one." Mercedes winked at him and his smile widened.

"Is there something you wanted to do today?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Any ideas?"

"I liked that Hawaii trip."

She tilted her head, a tired smile gracing her lips. "_Sam._"

"I'm up for anything you want to do, but I will remind you that for," he paused to check the time on the wall clock, "about five hours, we are _completely_..._alone_..."

Mercedes noticed the mischievous look in his eye, but the smirk gave away his thoughts. "It's nine a.m."

"What does that mean?" he asked, intent unwavering as his hands inched up her denim-clad legs.

"It means I just got dressed and did my hair and make-up, and now you just want to mess it all up?"

"Fine, fine. I just can't believe you don't want to be all over this," he ran a hand down his chest with a slight body roll, and she shook with laughter.

"I have no problems being _all over that_, trust me."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, _I know._" He grabbed the remote from the arm of the couch and found a movie on TV that they both agreed on.

They sat in silence for thirty minutes before Mercedes suddenly groaned. Sam looked over at her, nonplussed, and she grabbed his hand. "Come on. That's all I can think about now. You did that on purpose."

"Yeah, I planned all of that on the the drive home," he said sarcastically, following her upstairs, a grin rivaling the Cheshire Cat's on his face. "I can't help the fact that I love my wife!"

She turned to him in the doorway to their bedroom, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I love you."

"Then why complain?" Sam asked softly, his hands rising to her waist. He put his forehead against hers.

"Because it makes you want it more," she said, copying his low tone.

"Good Lord, you are so good at that." Sam caught Mercedes in a slow and heated kiss as he backed her a few steps into the room, closing the door with his foot.

The sound of the phone ringing woke them both up two hours later. Sam reached over Mercedes' relaxed form to grab the cordless phone from the nightstand, preparing to turn the ringer off when the name of Jacob's school popped up on the caller I.D. "H-Hello?" he answered, clearing his throat.

Mercedes rolled over to look at Sam, propping herself up on her elbows when she saw the concerned expression on his face as he listened to whoever was on the phone.

"...No, no, we can come down now...Okay, thanks...Bye." Sam hung up the phone and was still for a moment, looking nothing short of perplexed.

"What?" Mercedes asked.

"We took that ninja mask from Jacob, right?" She nodded. "He's in the principal's office for fighting and violating the dress code."

Mercedes jerked up. "WHAT?" She tore the covers away, rushing to get dressed as Sam took his time, letting his legs fall over the side of the bed and resting his forearms on his thighs with a sigh. "What are you doing?" She asked, pulling her sweater over her head.

She watched her husband fall back onto the bed. "One day!" he exclaimed in frustration.

Smiling, Mercedes tossed his shirt to him. "Get dressed."

Less than an hour later, they were seated in the office of Jacob's elementary school, listening to Principal Alkin ramble off Jacob's offenses. The first-grader was sitting right outside the door, staring at his feet swinging above the tiled floor.

"You know we have a zero tolerance rule about fighting at this school," she said, handing both of them pamphlets about the policy.

At the words, Sam resisted the urge to shut his eyes in annoyance as he was whisked back to days at McKinley. "Zero tolerance" was thrown around every other day at that school, and if he never heard it again, he wouldn't be upset.

"You Should Only Drink Punches...?" Mercedes read the title aloud. Sam snickered softly and she looked at him, her eyes harsh, but she was fighting a smile. It wasn't funny. There was nothing humorous about the situation at all, but these pamphlets seemed to be right from the shelf of their old guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury.

"We ran out of the pamphlets for the parents," Principal Alkin explained, indicating the empty slot behind her as she sat down, "but these get the same message across."

"This is about bullying...?" Sam said once he'd flipped through it. "Jay's not a bully. This is the first time we've ever been called up here for something like this."

Mercedes' jaw clenched when she heard his tone go from inquisitive to irritated. She put a hand on his arm.

"Oh, no, no, no! Jacob isn't a bully. The zero tolerance policy is at the back of that. That's just the only pamphlet I have left with it in there. I'm still waiting on my reorder."

The principal sounded embarrassed and Sam relaxed.

"So what happens from here?" Mercedes asked. They had already explained the face mask and found out what happened with the fight-Jacob and his friend had been playing around, showing off their costumes, when one hit the other a little too hard by accident and it escalated-now what?

"Because this is his first time getting in trouble for something of this nature, we're just giving him a warning. We've already talked to the other student involved and they've apologized to each other. It's just that whenever this happens, we make sure to call the parents down for a conference to ensure that they're aware and to help possibly prevent it from happening again."

Mercedes tucked the pamphlets into her purse as Principal Alkin stood up and walked around her desk.

"Thank you both for coming down. Most of the time, we can't even get one parent to show up, so two is a miracle."

"Timing," Sam said, plastering a fake smile on his face as he remembered what he was doing just before getting the call. As they stood, Mercedes looked at him. "Thank you for calling us."

"We'll have a talk with Jacob this evening. It won't happen again," Mercedes assured.

"I know," the poofy-haired woman said with a smile. "Jacob gets into his tangles, but never this kind of trouble."

They said their goodbyes, then met Jacob in the hall. He looked up at his parents from the chair, hazel eyes big and pleading. "Am I going home?" he asked.

Sam was expressionless as he shook his head. "No-"

"Am I in trouble?" Jacob asked, nervous.

"Yes," he answered just as stoically.

The six-year-old's face began to crumble and he crossed his arms, biting down on his lip to keep from crying.

Mercedes kneeled, pulling her son from his seat to a standing position. "You know you shouldn't be fighting, right?" Jacob nodded, lips pressed tightly in a pout. "And you know we told you not to take that mask to school, right?"

Jacob's voice came out an octave higher. "Yeah, but-"

"No 'buts,' Jay, we told you not to bring it," Sam said, joining Mercedes at his level, his voice softer. "We're taking you back to class and finishing this talk at home."

"Am I getting grounded?" Jacob asked, holding his mother's hand as she and Sam stood up.

"We'll talk about your punishment at home," Mercedes replied.

Jacob sighed, looking down at the floor as they walked to his classroom. He gave both of them hugs before going back inside to finish his school day.

"No sight more depressing than a sad ninja," Sam said to Mercedes as they walked back to the car.

Mercedes pulled her lips in, shaking her head at her smirking husband, who only grinned bigger when he saw her facial expression, and his nose automatically scrunched up. She reached over and grabbed it.

"What was that for?" Sam asked, rubbing his nose.

"You did it again."

"Did what?"

She started mimicking the scrunch for him and he laughed. "I'm pretty sure you do it when you think you're being cute. Just like Jacob." Sam opened the passenger side door for her before going around and getting into the driver's seat.

"Uh...I don't _think_ I'm being cute," he said, looking over at her, pretending to be offended. "I _am_. Me _and _Jacob."

"Yeah, okay," Mercedes said, chuckling as she buckled her seat belt.

"What if I do it when I see something I like? Isn't that what you said earlier? It's what gave you the hint that I was into you in high school? I liked what I saw. I liked you a lot, Ms. Jones," Sam effected a strong Southern drawl in the last sentence and lifted her chin with his thumb.

"You are crazy," she said, turning her face away. The fact that he could still give her butterflies after all these years was impressive.

Sam lifted from his seat and leaned over to kiss her before putting on his seat belt. "You make me crazy."

They decided to go get lunch while waiting for Jacob to get out of school.

"Some day off, huh?" Sam asked, smiling at her across the table.

"It wasn't so bad," Mercedes said, swirling a fry around in ketchup. "But next time, Hawaii." She took a bite. "Or Europe."

Sam spoke honestly, "I will take you to Europe someday, but until then," he added with a wink, "I'll get started on the hunt for that transporter."


	4. Lessons in the Park

_**Lessons in the Park**_

"Whoever jumps highest wins!" Stevie called as his swing rushed past Stacy, Mercedes, and Sam.

"I don't think this is a good idea..." Stacy said, kicking her feet through the sand as she slowed her swing down.

"I'm with Stacy on this one," Mercedes agreed, stopping her swing completely.

"Stevie, you're on!" Sam exclaimed, hair flying wildly as he kicked his legs out to push his swing even higher.

"Boys," Stacy said in exasperation, stopping her swing next to Mercedes. They watched the brothers swing back and forth, getting higher by the second. By the time Stevie shouted that they were going to count to three then jump, he was well above the top of the swing set. "I don't think I want to watch," Stacy whined, getting up from her swing and hugging Mercedes, hiding her face in the older girl's shoulder. Mercedes laughed, rubbing her back.

Sam and Stevie started counting together.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Mercedes and Stacy, who couldn't resist taking a peek, watched as the two boys jumped from their swings. At the sight of both striking superhero poses as they were free-falling, Mercedes shook her head, laughing. Sam hit the ground first, landing clumsily on his feet and stumbling forward a few steps. Stevie, however, landed in a perfect crouch.

"Okay, who was higher?" He asked, throwing a smug smile in Sam's direction.

Standing behind his little brother, Sam pointed at himself, nodding.

"Sorry, Sam," Mercedes said, smiling apologetically. "Stevie had that in the bag."

His jaw dropped. "What?! I am the swing jumping king."

"You _were _the swing jumping king," Stevie corrected him.

"You've been dethroned," Mercedes added.

"I still love you, Sam," Stacy said, walking to her brother and wrapping her arms around him. She looked up at him adoringly as he pushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm glad someone here does. Love you, too, Stace."

"Aw, we all love you, Sam!" Mercedes exclaimed, standing up from her swing. "But Stevie had you beat." She gave the younger Evans a high five. Sam stuck his tongue out at them.

"Okay, y'all go play. Mercedes and I will be right over there if you need us," he said, pointing to the tree under which they'd laid out a blanket and a backpack with some snacks. Sam's guitar was leaning against the tree.

"What if I want to play, too?" Mercedes asked and Sam raised his eyebrows at her. He had so many responses to that comment, none of which he could say in front of the children. None of which he felt he could even say to Mercedes without freaking her out. Mercedes realized how it sounded when she saw the look on his face and started laughing. "Come on, let's go. Behave, you two," she said to Stevie and Stacy. "And you behave, too," she added for Sam. He gave her an innocent smile.

"Thanks for hanging out today," Sam said, brushing his fingers over Mercedes' hand as they walked toward the tree. "I know it's not the ideal date-"

"Sam, it's fine. It's nice seeing your brother and sister again. They look so happy."

"I've been trying to get them out as much as possible now that we're out of school. They're starting summer camp at church soon, though, so that'll be good. I just hated seeing them dragging after being at school and then coming back to the motel."

"And what about you?" She asked. "How's today for Sam Evans?" She bumped into him lightly.

"Today's a good day. The weather's nice, no school, not stuck inside, and I get to spend the day with you."

Mercedes beamed at him. "Flatterer."

"I'm just tellin' it like it is," he said, returning the sat down on the blanket, leaning against the tree, and Sam pulled his guitar into his lap.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Stacy and Stevie enjoy their childhood despite everything they'd been through. Sam began strumming a tune on his guitar and Mercedes smiled, keeping her eyes on the playground. The melody was familiar, but she couldn't place it right away and soon forgot to try, letting the music blend into the scene around them. It was calming. She felt relaxed and oddly hopeful.

He played for a few minutes, providing soothing background music for their outing before beginning to sing softly, "Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you, honey. Everything will bring a chain of love. In the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes, and tell me everything is gonna be all right." Sam's voice faded into nothing and the music ceased completely. It was then that Mercedes looked over at him.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked.

"I didn't know you were paying attention," Sam said, bashfully.

"Well, you are sitting _right there_." Mercedes tilted her head toward him and he chuckled.

"True." The tall blond pushed his hair out of his eyes, thinking for the hundredth time that he might just try his luck and cut his hair himself. "My dad used to sing that song all the time when I was little. Do you play anything?"

"A little piano. I don't play as much as I used to," she admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

"Why not?" Sam asked, mindlessly playing a few chords.

Mercedes shrugged, then her brow furrowed as realization hit her. "I don't know. I play sometimes when I sing, but I don't really just sit down and play anything just for fun anymore. That's a little sad...I'll have to change that..." She was mumbling to herself as her words trailed off.

"Ever tried guitar?" She shook her head and Sam smiled brightly. Standing up, he took Mercedes' hands to move her away from the tree. "Here," he said, handing Mercedes the instrument. He sat in front of her, showing her how to hold it properly and pointing out different parts of the guitar. She tried to remember as much as she could, but the words weren't going to mean anything until she put them to actual use.

Mercedes had to remind herself to breathe when Sam got up and knelt down behind her. His torso pushed against her back as he guided her fingers with his own over the strings, spouting out explanations to which she wasn't completely listening. She kept zoning out, focusing her attention on the way his hands were so much bigger than her own, the way they were a little rough, but still had a gentleness about them, the way she wanted them to be holding her instead of her _and _this guitar. Mercedes almost groaned when she realized that she probably looked stupid. Sam, however, thought she was adorable.

Mercedes became acutely aware of his nearness when he leaned over her shoulder, his hair lightly brushing her cheek. She looked at him, and at the sudden movement, Sam turned his head, locking their gazes. Any day before this, she would have turned away, but the way his eyes softened and the small smile that was slowly emerging made it difficult.

Sam thought he'd done something wrong when Mercedes suddenly jerked her head in his direction. But when he looked at her, she didn't look upset at all, just a little surprised. The little sunlight that had worked its way through the tree branches above made her eyes sparkle. He was caught in her stare, and he couldn't take her in fast enough. The teenager knew he probably had some dopey expression on his face, but it didn't matter. He'd been wanting to kiss this girl for weeks now and it became apparent to him that this was his chance.

"_What is he doing?"_Mercedes thought, but she knew. The way her heart started racing, beating so loudly she wondered if Sam could hear it, too, told her so. He was suddenly in front of her, taking the guitar and setting it on the grass behind him without breaking eye contact. Biting his bottom lip, Sam reached over and pushed some of Mercedes' hair behind her shoulder, resting his hand on her cheek as he began closing the distance between them.

A breath caught in her throat and she tensed, but she didn't shrink back. Her eyes fluttered and closed. Mercedes Jones was about to kiss Sam Evans. On a larger scale, Mercedes Jones was about to kiss a guy for the first time. Ever. Panic set in. "I hope all of your guitar lessons don't end like this," she blurted out nervously, her eyes still shut.

Sam laughed, gently tracing his thumb along her jawline. "This was my first lesson."

The next thing she felt were soft lips pressed against her own. Before she could stop herself, Mercedes let out a happy sigh as she relaxed, leaning toward Sam. It was better than anything she'd imagined. It was real and sweeter than anything she'd dreamt up. He smiled against her mouth then pulled away, opening his eyes just in time to see her sitting there, eyes still closed, a satisfied smile forming on her lips. She looked gorgeous. When her brown eyes opened a second later, the shy giggle that came out was music to his ears.

Mercedes covered her face with her hands, more embarrassed by the ultra-girly laugh than anything else. Strong fingers were soon prying her hands away and she came face-to-face with an ecstatic Sam Evans, who hugged her to his chest. "You have the best lips _ever_," he said, causing her to blush even more.

Her eyes were drawn back to the playground. "Stacy and Stevie are watching."

Sam turned his head. Sure enough, his siblings were making kissy faces at the two teenagers from the monkey bars. "For a second, I forgot they were out there," Sam groaned. He waved them away and they started giggling before scrambling to the jungle gym.

"First lesson, huh?" Mercedes asked, releasing herself from Sam's grip and eyeing him suspiciously.

"I promise it was! I teach the munchkins sometimes," he said, nodding toward the playground, "But they don't really count."

"Ah, I see. I thought it might have been part of your dating repertoire," she joked and Sam scoffed.

"I don't play games, Mercedes," he said, dropping his voice in a way that if she'd been standing, her knees would have gone weak. Sam jumped to his feet. "Now, if you don't mind," he said, taking her hands and pulling her up, "I'd really like to kiss you again."

"I don't know...what about the kids?"

"Nothing that they haven't seen before," he responded with a shrug and a wink. Mercedes rolled her eyes in faux annoyance. "But I was thinking..." Sam led her around the tree, out of Stacy and Stevie's immediate sight. Backing her against it, he continued, "We could try it this way instead."

"Any way is new to me," She replied, her heart beginning to race again.

Sam smirked. "Was I your first kiss?" He asked through his grin. She nodded shyly. "I guess guitar wasn't the only lesson I was giving today."

Laughing, Mercedes pushed him back, but his hands had found their way to her waist and he only backed up half a step. "All right, I'm ready for part two of my lesson," she flirted.

"Eager student," Sam said, pulling her closer and lowering his head.

"Eager teacher," Mercedes shot back playfully, going up slightly on her toes to meet him halfway. Sam pressed her back against the tree and this kiss was better than the first. Between the look in his eyes as he pulled back and the way he licked his lips afterward, getting a taste of her mango chapstick, Mercedes decided that she could really get used to this.


	5. Countdown

_**Countdown**_

Sam sat with Mercedes' parents in a coffee shop around the block from the apartment she shared with Tina. The roommates, along with Rachel and Kurt were busy setting up for the New Year's Eve party that night, opting for a small gathering as opposed to the juggernaut that was Times Square. Sam told them he was going to meet Mike to pick up some drinks, which wasn't completely a lie. He just didn't have to meet Mike for another hour. His girlfriend's parents had come to spend Christmas and New Year's with their daughter and with Sam in town to ring in the new year as well, the timing was perfect to get some two-on-one time with them.

Being in the cafe for fifteen minutes already, they'd gotten pleasantries out of the way and were each nursing their hot beverages of choice. At least Sam was nursing his hot chocolate. His nerves were making it difficult to ingest anything.

"I did have an ulterior motive in meeting you today," Sam admitted.

Mr. Jones chuckled. "I figured as much. What's on your mind, son?" He asked.

"Well..." Sam knew Mercedes' parents liked him, but it didn't make what he was about to ask any less nerve-wracking. "I'd like to ask Mercedes to marry me and I was hoping to get your blessing."

The couple looked taken aback for a moment before pulling it back together. Mrs. Jones was struggling to contain her excitement, but her husband was stoic. "I can't say this is a surprise," he said.

"I hope by now you know how much I care about Mercedes-how much I _love _Mercedes. I'd do anything for her and I would really like her to become part of my family...who really loves her, too. She was a hit with my grandparents," he rambled with a smile. "And-er, I'd like to be a part of your family, too." Sam mentally kicked himself, wishing he'd prepared a speech instead of tripping over his words. His possible future in-laws looked at each other, having a silent conversation then shared a knowing smile.

"Sam," Mrs. Jones said tenderly, placing a hand on top of his, "you're already a part of our family."

"We knew it was a matter of time before this came up. Sandra and I have discussed it before, what it would mean-for you, our daughter, and this family as a whole."

"Just so you know, I'm in it for the long haul," Sam assured.

Mr. Jones laughed heartily. "Based on your track record, I think we all know that." Sam's cheeks flushed.

"Sam, you are an outstanding young man who's had to go through so much. The fact that instead of backing down when times get hard, you do what it takes to rise above it says a lot about you, and when it comes to marriage, that is important. I have no doubt that you'll treat our girl right. If you don't, there _will _be consequences," he eyed him squarely. "But you have our blessing to marry Mercedes."

He couldn't smile any bigger if he tried. Sam quickly stood up to shake the hand of his future father-in-law, caught off-guard when he was pulled into a hug. "Thank you," he said as Mr. Jones pat his back.

The older man pulled back and held Sam by his shoulders. "And I know we talked about this when you started dating, but should there be any backlash, you're ready to put up with that, too?"

"To Hell and back," Sam said seriously, the same words he'd used as a teenager, which shocked her father back then. This time it got him another pat on the back and Mr. Jones released Sam into the arms of his wife, who looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Do you already know when you're going to propose?" Sandra asked, the question had been on the tip of her tongue since the topic had been brought up.

"After she graduates. I don't want her to lose focus her last few months of school," he answered as all three sat back down. They nodded simultaneously. Sam felt the weight lift from his shoulders. He still had to find a ring, but already had some money saved up. Sandra offered her services to point him in the right direction.

"Lots of bling," she said with a wink and a thumbs up.

Sam smiled warmly. "As much as I can."

* * *

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1!"

"Happy new year, baby!" Mercedes exclaimed, bouncing slightly on her toes. Sam smiled at her fondly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "First kiss of the new year," she sang.

Instead of leaning in right away, he stared at her, taking in all of her features-her bright eyes, the blinding smile on her face, the way she looked at him like it really couldn't get any better. He would be proposing to this woman in five months.

She bit her lip. "Stop looking at me like that, I'm blushing," she said with a small laugh, playing with the hair at his nape.

"Sorry, gorgeous," he replied softly. "Happy new year." Sam leaned in and kissed her breath away, getting hoots and hollers from around the room.

Let the countdown begin.


	6. Balancing Act

_**Balancing Act**_

Sam stared at his feet, rocking back and forth with his hands shoved in his pockets as he waited near baggage claim for Mercedes. She text him a few minutes earlier saying she had just gotten off the plane. He was nervous, there was no denying it. The fact that she still decided to come to Nashville for the weekend gave him some hope, but underneath it all, he couldn't shake the reality of this possibly being their last goodbye.

Their first semester apart had been rough, having gone from seeing each other every day at school to a few times a week over the summer to being reduced to texts, phone calls, and video chats if they were lucky. The strain on the relationship had been obvious as they were trying to establish themselves as independent adults and get used to the pressure of college life. Sam wished he could have taken back some of the things he'd said to her. Running a hand through his hair, he looked up just in time to see Mercedes walking in his direction.

She was wearing a purple peacoat with blue skinny jeans that were tucked into a pair of dark brown boots. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, but a few tendrils hung loose, framing her face. Mercedes looked beautiful, though a little sad or unsure, Sam couldn't place it. He called out to her and a small smile graced her features when her brown eyes met his green.

"Hey," she said as she walked into his embrace. He felt her hands clutch the material of his Vanderbilt hoodie and he hugged her tighter. By the time he pulled away to get a good look at her face, he could see that her eyes were misty.

"I'm glad you came," Sam said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Me too," Mercedes replied, a crack in her voice. Sam wrapped his arms around her from behind as they waited for her suitcase, making small talk about her flight and finals. He took every opportunity he could to kiss her cheek and her neck, smiling when he heard her sigh and place her hands on top of his own.

"I hope you're hungry. Grammy cooked a lot of food since you were coming to town," Sam said, once they'd gotten her bags and were in his truck.

Mercedes laughed softly, earning a quizzical look from her boyfriend. "'Grammy,'" she answered. "I still think that's really cute." Sam had talked to Mercedes about his grandparents and she'd taken an immediate liking to the name for his grandmother.

She was glad to be near Sam again, they needed some time together, but she felt he was only going through all the motions as if to take attention away from the fact that they weren't entirely okay. Mercedes didn't like feeling that way, but lately she hadn't been sure about how to read him. They never actually had the talk about how their relationship would work long-distance, assuming it would come to them naturally since they were both used to their independence. Although their recent conversations had been brief, neither neglected to say "I love you" before hanging up or closing the video chat screen, which gave her some hope.

Dinner that night with Sam's grandparents had been precious. They had welcomed her with open arms and were every bit as adorable as she imagined. Grammy told her stories about Sam as a baby and Poppa shared the Evans family history with her. Every now and then, between blushing, Sam would catch her eye, silently asking if she was okay. She'd hold his gaze for a moment, but turn her attention back to the elderly couple. They didn't say much to each other, answering relationship questions the few times they came up.

Mercedes was first to excuse herself, still tired from the flight and wanting nothing more than to shower. As the warm water rushed over her, thoughts of the past few months came rushing back, one memory ringing louder than the others. The one that put her relationship in its current teetering position a few weeks ago.

"_So once again it's me against the New York City life of Mercedes Jones," Sam snarled into the receiver. He didn't even sound like himself. These chats were becoming routine and Mercedes was over it. _

_She gasped. "How dare you," she said through clenched teeth. "You know I've been busy and I know you've been busy. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of talking to you when you've got this damn stank attitude going. And this whole thing about you against my life? Hell to the no, Sam! Where did that come from?"_

"_I'm always competing for time with you!"_

"_I could say the same thing about you, Mr. Nashville Star, so don't even go there with me. You don't see me complaining about me not being your top priority. Or a priority at all." _

"_You are a priority!"_

"_Then prove it!" Mercedes immediately regretted her statement, knowing it came more out of fury than fact._

_She heard him take a deep breath, and imagined that he was pacing angrily, wringing his hands. His voice was tense. "Mercedes. I love you more than I have loved anyone. I didn't know it was still something that needed to be questioned!"_

"_It isn't!"_

"_Then what was that about?!" He sighed, frustrated. "Maybe we just need to reevaluate everything," Sam said before he could stop himself. Mercedes was quiet and the blond held his breath, preparing for the onslaught of a verbal beatdown that never came._

"_Are you fucking kidding me?" She asked so calmly that it actually scared him._

"_Cede, I-"_

"_Sam, I'll talk to you later," she said through a shaky breath and he panicked. There was no way to take back what he said and he was unsure about damage control. What the hell were they even arguing about in the first place?_

"_Mercedes-"_

"_No, no. You're right. We should. 'Reevaluate.' This is all just...just...too much," Her voice cracked half-way through and the last few words came out in a sob. Sam felt the harsh sting of his own tears. He hated hearing her upset, but the fact that he caused this was tearing him apart. "I'm gonna go," she croaked. He started to say her name again, but she had hung up._

Their conversations after that had been brief and awkward, full of small-talk and weak apologies. Nothing seemed one hundred percent sincere anymore, not when they couldn't be together, seeing the emotion on each others faces, holding each other for comfort, kissing all the fears away. Mercedes felt bad for unloading all of her relationship issues on Tina, but her high school friend took it in stride, offering support, advice, and best of all, hope.

Mercedes finished her shower, put on her pajamas, and was straightening out her luggage when there was a knock on the bedroom door. She half-turned from her suitcase to see Sam standing in the doorway. He'd changed into his pajamas, a pair of low slung sweatpants, and an old gym shirt from McKinley that hugged him in just the right places. She bit her lip, pushing back thoughts of actions that would not be appropriate while his grandparents were in the house. "Heading to bed?" She asked, standing up straight.

"Yeah, I just wanted to come check in on you," he said. "Did you need me to bring you anything? Extra blankets? Pillows? Company?"

Mercedes didn't miss the flash of puppy-eyes as he spoke the last word. With a soft smile, she waved him in but couldn't stop herself from raising an eyebrow when he pushed the door closed behind him.

"There's no open-door rule here," Sam said, shrugging. He walked past Mercedes and sat on the bed, pushing himself back against the headboard and leaving room for her.

"Just make yourself comfortable," Mercedes joked with a smirk.

"I live here," he replied smugly. "Come over here."

Mercedes was hesitant but the temptation to be curled up next to him was strong. She made herself comfortable, her head resting on his shoulder, and began tracing invisible shapes on his chest before she realized she what was doing. It was a habit. She stopped, but left her hand there, feeling his heartbeat, surprised when she realized it was beating just as quickly as her own.

Sam covered her hand and held it, looking down at her and smiling softly when she met his gaze. Tentatively, he brought his face closer, hovering above her lips for a moment to ask, "Is this okay?"

After a sharp intake of breath, Mercedes nodded and soon Sam's lips brushed against hers sweetly. He pulled back and then repeated the motion just as gently as the first. She couldn't help smiling after the second time. Mercedes pushed herself up to meet him for the third kiss. Sam didn't pull away, instead wrapping his right arm around her waist, bringing her closer. Mercedes teased his lips with her tongue for a moment before he countered it with his own. After a few minutes, Sam tugged on her body again, pulling her on top of him, and everything escalated from there.

Mercedes lost herself in Sam, enjoying the feeling that she'd missed out on the past five months. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck, paying special attention to the spot just behind her ear.

"S-Sam," Mercedes whimpered. He grunted in reply as one of his hands snaked under the bands of her pants and underwear, smiling against her skin when he felt that she was enjoying this just as much as he was. Her hips rocked into his hand, but she suddenly gasped and pulled away. "We can't." Mercedes said, pushing a hand against his chest before rolling over onto the mattress. She looked at the blond and watched as his expression quickly shifted from confusion to contemplation and settling on a sad understanding.

"Cede..." he said, putting a hand on her leg. "I-"

"Can we talk about it tomorrow?" She asked timidly. "Is there somewhere we could go?"

He nodded and started to stand up from the bed when a question he'd been holding back forced its way out. "Are we going to be okay?"

The pleading look in his eyes broke her heart. Mercedes scooted across the bed and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "We will be okay," she whispered, fighting back tears. She leaned back, running a hand through his hair before setting it gently on his cheek. The look on his face mirrored her own: sad, hopeful and apologetic. She almost asked him to stay. Instead, she pressed her lips against his softly and slowly. Sam ran a hand over her back soothingly.

"Goodnight, Mercedes," he said, standing up.

"Goodnight, Sam." Mercedes watched him walk out of the room, closing the door behind him. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding before a wave of emotion took her under. Turning off the lamp and curling up under the blankets, she clutched a pillow to her chest and quietly cried herself to sleep.

The next day, Sam got up early to cook breakfast. Mercedes smiled at the gesture, knowing he doubted his culinary ability, but she thought he did just fine with grits, eggs, bacon, and toast. Grammy and Poppa would be gone all day, visiting Sam's aunt in a neighboring town. She wondered if he'd mentioned that they needed some privacy. It wouldn't have surprised her and they seemed sweet enough to grant him that request.

He showed her around Nashville and Mercedes fell in love with the hills, trees, and overall landscape, even finding the heavy promotion for all-things-country endearing. They eventually ended up at his favorite park, where his family used to bring him as a child, where he met some of his first friends, and where he sometimes came to think. Sam didn't tell her that he'd been hanging around there a lot lately, thinking about her.

"This is beautiful," Mercedes gushed, her left arm wrapped around Sam's right.

He smiled, proud that he'd pleased her. "I thought it was fitting," he said, "Since a park is where we had our first real, non-auditorium date and all."

They walked around for a while in the cold, Sam sharing stories when he saw something that brought a memory to life. Mercedes noticed he told stories like his grandmother, full of excitement that just begged you to feel the moment just as much as she did. After a while, they both knew the time had arrived to have their talk. Sitting on a bench, facing each other, neither spoke at first, afraid of the realization that, after such a nice day, this would make or break it all.

But one of them had to crack.

"I don't want to break up," Sam blurted out. He took a deep breath. Mercedes was silent as if she was still figuring out what she wanted to say, so he continued, "It's not like we haven't been apart before, and yeah, I know we weren't doing the whole long-distance thing back then, but I never treated you like you didn't matter. I was an ass-"

Mercedes cut him off. "Sam, I wasn't that much better."

"Still, I have been beating myself up these past few weeks, not knowing if you were going to back out of coming here at the last minute."

"You know I wouldn't have done that to you. I want this to work just as much as you do," she said, rubbing his arm.

Sam put his hand on top of hers and held her gaze. "I've imagined life without you." He saw her face start to break and said quickly, "And I didn't like it at all. I've created different versions of how my life could play out in my head and I've come up with at least ten places to live, including Pandora," he confessed. There was a small smile on her face. "I've placed myself in different jobs, different houses, with different cars, different pets, wondered what life would be like if I was freakin' rich or if I was suddenly broke all over again and the one thing that stays the same is _you_. You're always there, Cede. And I don't even have to _try _to visualize you there. You just are."

Mercedes squeezed her eyes shut. Everything Sam had just said, she'd done herself, with the exception of picturing life on Pandora. He was her constant and she told him so, feeling butterflies in her stomach when he smiled, and for a moment, didn't have a hint of worry in his eyes. "I don't want to break up," she repeated his opening line. "You have to admit talking to Tina and Mike has helped a lot." He nodded. "But we can't keep running to them every time something happens. We need to figured out how to make this work for us because winging it hasn't panned out too well. Like..." she thought for a moment. "Not taking our academic frustrations out on each other, for starters?"

"Not letting our anger make us say things we don't mean," he said somberly.

"Human nature," she said, matching his tone.

"But worth a fair shot," Sam replied firmly. Mercedes agreed.

"And not getting stupid drunk at parties and taking pictures..."

"Especially not with girls all over you," Mercedes added and Sam's guilt showed all over his face. He remembered the big argument that followed when she saw the tagged picture on Facebook. Mercedes had already been stressed out over her midterms, and they hadn't talked in about a week outside of text messages. That had been the breaking point, and she let him have it.

"Especially not that," He said, shifting uncomfortably. Mercedes lips quirked into a tiny smile to show she wasn't really holding it against him, and he relaxed. "We can't go a whole week without speaking to each other. At least once. I mean, really speaking. Not texts."

"Video date night?" Mercedes asked, half-joking.

"Long-distance dinner and a movie," Sam added with a smile, feeling the tension slipping away.

"I'm up for that."

"I can't cook as well as you."

"We could have take-out."

"Or video cooking lessons," Sam said, squeezing her hand. She laughed, saying they could try.

"And visit during the breaks?" she asked, hopeful. "I could come here or you could come to New York-or Lima. We could alternate. I know that might get expensive, but it could work if we planned out far enough in advance. Not knowing when we can be together _like this_," Mercedes held their hands up between them, "really sucks."

"And hey, if I happen to be in Kentucky when you're in Ohio, we could just drive and meet halfway. Or I could come to Lima and see everyone. We'll figure it out, but that sounds great!" They sat there smiling at each other, happy to have everything out in the open with a game plan being worked out. That part of the conversation wasn't over, but it could be finished at the house.

Sam lifted her chin and began leaning forward, stopping when there was barely a breath between them to ask, "So we're okay?"

Mercedes smiled. "More than okay," she said and closed the gap, pressing her lips against his. Without the worry of their relationship hanging in the balance, every kiss and caress they'd been neglected since August-not including last night's last-ditch effort-felt new and familiar all at the same time. Sam grabbed her hips and pulled her closer on the bench as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Soon, their coats and gloves became a burden, and the air's cold sting was taking its toll.

"Let's go to the house," Sam said, his breathing ragged. Chest heaving, Mercedes just nodded and walked with him back to the truck.

Sam took Mercedes by the hand and led her upstairs to his bedroom, thankful that his grandparents weren't expected to be back for a few more hours. Had he not been in his current state of mind, he would have second-guessed this decision, but the look of desire on his girlfriend's face and the kiss she laid on him once he closed the door to his room had him out of sorts.

"Your gloves are cold," he said through a smile against her lips. She pulled them off and tossed them to the floor as Sam did the same with his own.

"Better?" She teased, touching his face with her naked fingers. Without answering, he reached forward and pulled the belt of her coat, jerking her against him before lowering his mouth to hers once more, nipping her bottom lip as he stepped on the backs of his shoes to kick them off.

Mercedes unbuttoned his jacket and pushed it down his arms and onto the floor before sliding her hands up the front of his shirt. Sam blushed when she drew in a sharp breath and her eyes rose to meet his. "Let's get this off," she said, smirking. In a swift motion that surprised him, Sam was suddenly shirtless.

"That was new," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Undressing mannequins," she said. "They don't usually have arms, though. I'm kind of impressed with myself..."

"They don't move either." Sam was suddenly upon her again and she laughed when he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her from the ground to spin them both in a circle, kissing her neck. He began backing her toward the bed. "I'm seeing something wrong with his picture," he said as the back of her legs hit it. Gently, he pushed her onto the mattress, then quickly slid off her boots. "I can't be the only one half-naked."

"Both of us will be in no time, loverboy," Mercedes said playfully.

"Yeah, you're right." He jumped onto the bed, making her squeak when he straddled her thighs and started getting her out of her coat, swatting at Mercedes' hands when she reached up to unbutton his jeans. When she wouldn't give up, Sam leaned forward, pinning her hands above her head with one hand while unzipping her coat with the other.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "That's new," Mercedes said, turned on and squeezing her legs together.

"That," Sam said with a smirk, pulling her coat out from under her, "is determination." He rolled them over then sat up, pulling her shirt over her head. and kissing down her neck to her cleavage, leaving little bite marks along the way. Mercedes ground her hips into him and he groaned against her chest. The jeans had to come off. NOW. He opened his own before unbuttoning hers, but she got up from the bed. "Where do you think you're going?" Sam asked, grabbing at her arm, but she sashayed out of reach, sauntering around to the foot of the bed.

His eyes were glued to her figure as she finished unzipping her jeans, but they bugged out when she slid them down to reveal red-trimmed blue underwear with a star right at the front. Combined with her blue bra with red straps, Sam immediately recognized the similarities between his scantily-clad love and a certain caped hero.

His heart clenched. "Captain America?" He choked out, feeling his pants get even tighter when she nodded slowly.

"I put them on, just in case," she admitted shyly.

Mercedes smiled at his slack-jawed expression, but absolutely beamed when he said, "You...are so _sexy_. Come here."

"Jeans off first," She said coyly. He didn't need to be told twice. Tossing them to the floor with the rest of their scattered clothing, he slid to the foot of the bed, taking her hands and pulling her on top of him.

"I can not believe you're wearing those. I almost don't want to take them off," he said, pulling lightly at the waistband of her panties.

Mercedes lifted her body off of him, her curls cascading over her shoulder, and her eyes roamed down to the bulge in his boxer-briefs. She smiled wickedly. "'Almost' is the key word, right?"

"Definitely the key word," he replied, matching her grin, and pulled her back down for another hungry kiss.

The last of their clothing hit the carpet and they became reacquainted with each others bodies, making up for the five months apart and every argument in-between. When the last of the tremors subsided, Mercedes snuggled into the warm security of Sam's arms, murmuring another "I love you."

He kissed the back of her head. "I love you, too."

They stayed that way, speaking softly to each other for an hour before Sam checked the time and realized they should get up, showered, and dressed again. Mercedes didn't miss his grin as he handed her the superhero underwear. "I have some others, you know..."

His eyebrows shot up. "Like what?"

"Hmm...all of the Avengers. Oh, and I found some Avatar ones," she said, pulling her t-shirt over her head.

He froze. "Found some? Did you _buy _them?"

"Maybe..." She said over her shoulder as she started to leave the room.

"Mercedes."

No response.

"Mercedes."

She stopped at the doorway, turning to look at him again. Sam looked at her expectantly. "What?" She asked innocently.

"Did you buy them?" He asked again and Mercedes shrugged, walking out completely.

"Mercedes!" He called out, running to his door in his boxer-briefs, but she'd already disappeared into her room next door. He heard the shower turn on and shook his head, smiling. The smile was wiped off his face when he received a picture on his phone from Mercedes.

A picture that was taken in the guestroom of blue-striped bra and panties set on the bed.


	7. Lessons Unlearned

_**Lessons Unlearned**_

"Check it out," Mercedes said, walking back into the living room where Sam was sitting on the couch. The couple was spending the afternoon together since he was off and didn't have to take care of Stacy and Stevie. Her parents were both at work so they had the house to themselves, unable to resist taking advantage of the rare opportunity. She held up the instrument proudly. "It's my uncle's old guitar. I told him I was learning how to play and he let me have it." It was covered in stickers and a random hundred dollar bill that had all been polished over with a clear coating. "He had to replace the strings, but it's basically good as new."

Sam cringed when she ran her fingers over the strings. "It needs some tuning. Lemme see it."

She handed him the guitar and sat down next to him as he tuned it for her. Mercedes watched him work, admiring how strong his hands looked as he handled the instrument with care. "You want another lesson today?" He asked, looking up at her, his hair falling into his eyes.

"Sure," she said with a shrug.

Sam scoffed. "I mean, at least _try _not to get too excited," he said, a small smile on his face.

"Yes! I want a lesson today!" Mercedes exclaimed, kicking up the enthusiasm way more than necessary, getting a chuckle out of Sam.

He had given her six guitar lessons since that first day in the park two weeks ago, but Mercedes had been slow on the uptake. Sam thought he was making it easy to grasp, but had to admit other factors may have made it difficult for the information to stick. Not that he was going to complain. He finished tuning the guitar and handed it to her. "Okay, let's start with the chords again."

Mercedes got through that part of the lesson easily, flashing an accomplished grin at Sam afterwards. "I want to learn a song."

"What song?" He asked.

"Teach me the one you sang in the park that day. The first day."

"The day I kissed you," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Mercedes bit her lip to hide her smile, trying and failing to keep herself from blushing. "That was a good lesson."

"In _kissing_, maybe," Mercedes replied.

"You couldn't even hold a guitar properly before that!"

"Fiiiiiine. If you're going to cry about it," she teased and his jaw dropped comically.

"Cry?!" He repeated incredulously as she laughed.

"Come on, Sam, teach me, teach me," Mercedes said, tapping the guitar on her lap as she repeated the words.

He shook his head. "My feelings are hurt now," he pouted, but there was a playful glimmer in his eyes.

Mercedes lifted a finger, coaxing him to come toward her, but wasn't expecting what he did next.

The guitar slid onto the floor as Sam all but pounced on his girlfriend, attacking her with an Eskimo kiss before his lips found hers. Mercedes relaxed into it, touching his face and then pushing his hair back. Sam groaned approvingly at the feeling of her nails on his scalp. He slid his hands down her waist as their bodies went from sitting upright to laying down, her shirt sliding up a little in the back during the shift.

Mercedes jumped a little when Sam's cool fingers made contact with her skin. She made an effort to pull her shirt down, but he made a noise of discontent against her lips before one of his hands went completely underneath the hem and caressed her lower back. "You're always so warm...and soft..." he said between kisses. "Like a cookie."

Mercedes' face crumbled as her body shook with laughter. "You did not just say that!"

His face turned a light shade of red, but then he nuzzled her neck and kissed her there. "And you taste good, too," he murmured. She could tell he was smiling and couldn't suppress the soft moan that escaped her lips when he stopped merely peppering her skin with pecks, using his tongue to push things further. Mercedes wrapped her arms around him for a moment before he propped himself up to look at her, smirking. "Really, you taste good. Cookie."

"Boy, stop!" She exclaimed, feeling heat rising in her own cheeks. He pressed his body against hers again and kissed her lips, then her cheek, then her jaw, making his way back down to where he'd been. The warmth from her cheeks seem to spread throughout her entire body, thanks to Sam Evans.

"I'm not sure you should give me lessons anymore," Mercedes said, raising her eyes to the ceiling, clutching the sleeves of Sam's shirt as his tongue pressed against her neck again. She gasped when he raked his teeth rake over her skin then sucked at the spot, making a loud smack, and she laughed again.

"I'm not sure I want anyone else giving you lessons," he shot back, smiling into the crook of her neck. He kissed her again before pushing himself up so he was leaning over her, their legs still entwined.

Mercedes smiled up at him. "They always end like this."

"And that's a problem?" He asked, holding himself up with one hand and using the other one to tickle her. Mercedes writhed beneath him, pushing his hand away before sitting up.

"You know I'm not learning anything."

He winked at her. "Hey now, you are a pro at those chords."

"Maybe I should call Puck..." She joked and Sam gave her a look that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than "hell to the no."

"It's not my fault you're too hot for teacher," he said with a laugh.

She hit his chest. "Me?! Need I remind you that I was focused until you diverted from the lesson."

"We could start over."

"How about a break for lunch instead? Are you hungry?"

Sam nods, putting her guitar on the couch as he stood up to follow her out of the living room.

"I think we have leftovers, but I can make something, too. What do you feel like eating?" She asked.

"I don't know," Sam said, stretching as they walked into the kitchen, "I could go for some cookies right now."

"Sam!" She stopped suddenly and turned to face him, sending him a stern look that failed to be effective because she was smiling.

"Oh yeah, I already have one right here," he said, pinning her between his body and a counter, flashing a mischievous grin.

Mercedes pushed her hand against his abdomen, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt. "You better not start calling me 'Cookie'," she warned just before their lips met and another guitar lesson went out of the window.


	8. Downpour

**Downpour**

_**Right under my feet there's air made of bricks**_  
_**Pulls me down turns me weak for you**_

Sam looked up at the sky. It was going to start raining any minute. Mercedes noticed, too, and her umbrella was in her room while she was in her driveway. It was late evening. They'd just returned from the movies with Santana and Brittany. Sam was supposed to be dropping her off, but surprised her when he hopped out of the truck with no plans of walking her to the door anytime soon.

"Stay out here for a little while," he requested.

Mercedes looked at him like he was crazy. "It's about to rain. We can go inside."

"No, no-I'm not going to keep you long. Pinky swear," he said before holding up his little finger.

She smiled at him. "You're such a nerd," she replied, linking her pinky with his. Letting go, then twisting his hand around to catch her wrist, Sam pulled her into a hug.

_**I find myself repeating like a broken tune**_  
_**And I'm forever excusing your intentions**_

"I had fun today," she said against him, trying to keep their interaction platonic. Lately, the lines between friendship and romance with Sam had been blurred, and she didn't need any more complications. "San and Britt are a trip."

"I'm just glad that I didn't have to spend the whole time listening to jokes about my mouth," Sam said, chuckling. Santana had taken it upon herself to poke fun at strangers, probably because she could come up with brand new things to say about people she didn't see everyday. Brittany told her to be nice, so she limited the insults to the obnoxious ones. "It was fun."

"_It was also kind of a double date,"_he thought, but didn't dare say it out loud.

_**And I give in to my pretendings**_  
_**Which forgive you each time**_

The rain started then. What they thought was going to be a light drizzle, turned out to be more of a shower. "Oh my God!" Mercedes exclaimed, jumping back from Sam, attempting to cover her head with her hands. "Okay, I'm going in the house."

_**Without me knowing**_  
_**They melt my heart to stone**_

"No, stay!" Sam caught her by the hand, drawing her near despite the protests. "A little rain is not going to hurt you," he said through a laugh, refusing to let her hand go.

"Says you!" Mercedes said, pointing to her hair. He pouted and she sighed with a smirk, coming to stand in front of him again. It was too late to worry about staying dry now.

"You look great. As usual," Sam said, casually pushing some wet hair off of her forehead.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "If I get sick, I'm blaming you."

He leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. "If you get sick, I'll take care of you." The sincerity in his eyes threw her for a loop.

Mercedes bit her lip and looked down for a moment, suddenly shy. Sam didn't know what possessed him to do what he did next, but when her head came back up, he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that seemed to slow time for them both. He didn't push his body against her or pull her any closer, he didn't even try to shove his tongue down her throat, but there was still an undeniable spark.

She pulled away, looking hurt and confused. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry...?" He wasn't, though he hadn't planned on kissing her.

Mercedes continued to stare at him, her eyes lit up by passion.

_**And I hear your words that I made up**_  
_**You say my name like there could be an us**_

There had been a handful of near-kisses between them, but none had crossed the threshold they'd been standing on either side of for weeks...until now.

She went up on her toes a little, bringing her lips closer to his again. Then she paused, looking directly into his eyes. Raindrops clung to her eyelashes and her skin was glistening. Mercedes didn't speak, seeming to search his face for something. What exactly? He didn't know. So Sam didn't speak when she pushed his wet hair out of his face, but his breathing was unsteady, anticipation building as he awaited her next move.

Closing her eyes, the girl placed an unsure peck on his lips, then backed away. Sam thought that was it until she kissed him again, hard. The rain didn't matter anymore. Mercedes placed her hands on his chest, her eyes squeezed shut. Sam pushed some strands of hair off of her cheeks and wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes and eagerly moving his mouth with hers.

He held her tightly against him and noticed she was shivering a little. It wasn't cold. Maybe he was shivering. A few seconds had passed, but it felt like much longer when she pulled away again, looking down and taking a slow, deep breath.

"That was a mistake," she said quietly, removing herself from his embrace.

"I don't think it was," Sam replied.

_**I best tidy up my head I'm the only one  
In love**_  
_**I'm the only one in love**_

"We can't..." she said, a pleading look in her eyes, unprepared for this conversation. She never was. Not to mention Sam _usually_chose to flirt or keep the conversation light when conveying the desire to rekindle their romance instead of flat out asking.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"We're friends."

"We weren't always." Mercedes looked away. "Is that all you want?" He asked, exasperation rising. "Because I could have sworn you just kissed me."

"You kissed me first."

"You kissed me back."

Silence. Sam turned away from her, wiping his face. The rain was still coming down, but slowing to a drizzle.

_**Each and every time I turn around to leave**_  
_**I feel my heart begin to burst and bleed**_

"Why are you pushing this whole friendship thing, Mercedes?" He asked, facing her again. He really wanted to know why she was resisting. She broke up with Shane last month, and it was obvious her feelings for Sam were still there, but she was determined to walk the line between friendship and dating anyway.

_**So desperately I try to link it with my head**_  
_**But instead I fall back to my knees**_

"I don't want it to get weird. Complicated."

"We passed complicated a long time ago, Cede," he said, smiling. "But it doesn't have to be. Be with me."

_**As you tear your way right through me**_  
_**I forgive you once again**_

Mercedes looked at him, her expression unreadable. But she didn't say anything, not wanting to get his hopes up or crush him.

_**Without me knowing**_  
_**You've burnt my heart to stone**_

He didn't break their staring game. When he said he was going to fight for her, he meant it, whether it was against feelings for her burly boyfriend, who was now a non-issue, or against her own personal struggle.

_**And I hear your words that I made up**_  
_**You say my name like there could be an us**_

"Sam," Mercedes finally said, reaching for his arm and pulling him close. "It's just a lot to think about."

"Then stop _thinking_," he begged. "_We _were effortless."

When they were together, things seemed to just fall into place. Far easier than things had been with Quinn, more real than it had been with Santana. When he and Mercedes argued, it wasn't some apocalyptic explosion of irreparable anger. Nothing seemed impossible and he felt ready to take on the world.

_**I best tidy up my head I'm the only one  
In love**_  
_**I'm the only one in love**_

Mercedes let him go, walking away as if she was going into her house.

_**Why do you steal my hand**_  
_**Whenever I'm standing my own ground**_  
_**You build me up, then leave me dead**_

"You can't tell me that you don't want this. Don't want _us_," Sam called out, annoyed.

She spun on her heel and stomped toward him, glaring. "I told you that the first day you came back to school!" Mercedes exclaimed, equally annoyed.

"That doesn't count." He hated how childish he sounded, but went with it.

"Why not?"

"Because you didn't mean it. And you didn't _exactly _say that. Why are you fighting this?" He asked seriously, his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't want to get hurt again."

Brow furrowed, he asked, "You really think I would hurt you?"

"You did once," she said, not meeting his eyes, and he was taken aback. When he had to leave, she wasn't the only one who was hurt. The morning of his departure should have been evidence of that as he whispered to her on the couch of her living room, rubbing her back as she tried to keep herself from crying, his own eyes red from unshed tears.

_**Well I hear your words you made up**_  
_**I say your name like there should be an us**_

"Cede..." Sam sighed. Shaking his head, he backed away from her, dragging his hands down her arms as he did so, until he reached her hands, holding them for a second before letting go. She looked up at him again, and that's when he saw she was crying. Mercedes' tears mixed with the rain and her broken expression almost made him grab her again. He couldn't this time.

"I have to go," he said, his voice shaky.

"Sam, don't..." Mercedes said, taking a step forward.

"I have to." He said firmly, taking a step back. "If I stay, I'm just going to say something I don't mean or kiss you again and you've made it clear that you don't want that," he said, putting air quotes around "clear."

"It's not that."

"Then what, Mercedes?"

She was silent, tilting her head toward the ground.

He threw up his arms in frustration. "I care about you. _So much._ But I don't just want to be friends with you. If I _have _to, I will, but it's going to take some time."

She didn't know what to say to that and Sam took it as his cue to leave. He was upset and needed to clear his head. Standing in the rain and taking things out on Mercedes would only make everything worse, even if their relationship was the root of it all.

He walked up to her and squeezed her hand gently. "I'll see you later," he said, softening his tone for her, but still fuming.

_**I best tidy up my head **_  
_**I'm the only one **_  
_**In love**_

Sam walked back to his truck and got in, dripping wet. His chest hurt, his head hurt, his heart hurt. He wasn't giving up on her, he just needed some time to refocus. As he backed out of the driveway, the truck headlights briefly illuminated Mercedes in the steadily increasing darkness. She was frowning, her arms hanging limp at her sides. By the time he was back onto the street, she had turned to go inside. When her house was out of sight, his breathing hitched, and the burning tears he'd been holding in forced their way out.

_**I'm the only one in love**_


	9. Birthday Wishes

**Birthday Wishes**

Sam was having a great birthday so far. First, it was Friday. Second, he hadn't been assigned much homework. Third, he and some of the guys-Finn, Mike, and Puck-decided to hit the movie theater right after school to check out the latest explosion-fueled blockbuster. He was amped up when they walked out of the building, telling tall tales about what they would do if they were secret agents trained in various forms of martial arts with fast cars and a vast knowledge of clever uses of explosives.

Finn suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pointed out in front of them. "Look who's waiting for you," he said, smirking. "We'll see you later."

"Was this planned?" he asked, looking at the guys.

"Yeah, she sent me a text!" Finn said, holding up his phone.

Sam grinned at Mercedes, who was waving at him as she leaned against her car just outside the of the theater. Her smile was radiant, and a breath caught in his throat as he picked up the pace.

"Bye, Sam!" Mike called out, and the other guys began hollering and making kissing noises.

He shook his head exasperatedly, yelling a quick goodbye over his shoulder with a hurried flip of the hand. "Hey," Sam said breathlessly, even though he had merely walked over to her.

"Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, closing the small distance between them with a hug.

"Thank you." He leaned down to give her a quick, but sweet kiss on the lips before taking her hands in his. She had changed clothes after school.

Mercedes' smooth brown complexion was complimented by the sleeveless kelly green dress she wore. The sweetheart neckline seemed to mold around her chest and down to the tops of her hips before flaring out slightly in a bubble skirt that stopped just above her knee. A black belt with a bow for a buckle accentuated her waist, and a pair of black gladiator sandals was on her feet. Taking a step back, Sam held her hands out to admire her. Her skin seemed to sparkle all over.

"You look..." Words failed him, and he ended up just blowing air out of his mouth with a quiet, appreciative whistle. He reached up to tuck a flyaway strand of hair back in place amongst the sea of dark brown waves that flowed down around her shoulders.

Mercedes smiled coyly, her head dipping a little, but her eyes were trained on him. "Thank you," she replied.

"Amazing," he finally said, a little too late. Not that she minded. Mercedes thanked him again. "What are you doing here? I thought you were coming to Finn and Kurt's later?"

"We're going there, but first, we're going to celebrate. Just the two of us."

Sam smiled brightly. "So this is, like, my _Sixteen Candles _moment or something?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and backing her against the car.

Mercedes smiled, running her hands up his biceps then back down to his elbows. "What do you know about _Sixteen Candles_?" she asked.

"I've caught the ending a couple of times."

"You've seen the whole thing at least ten times, huh?"

"More like fifteen." She laughed. "No, twice... Once with Kurt, oddly enough..."

"The only odd thing about that is that it was _once_. That's one of his favorite movies. I prefer _Pretty in Pink_."

"Never seen it."

Mercedes smiled up at him and he couldn't resist kissing her again. She went up slightly on her tiptoes, placing her hands on his chest while his slid lower, resting on her ample backside. A horn blew offensively and startled them apart, but they recognized the driver just before the window came down.

"Now, now, kids..." Puck said, driving slowly and waving a finger at them. "There are innocent eyes out here."

"But none in the immediate vicinity," Mercedes said, leaning around Sam's body. He released his hold and turned to lean next to her on the car.

Puck slowed to a stop in front of the couple. "I'm just doing my part to keep the streets PG."

Sam snorted. "You don't even _live _PG."

"I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Get outta here, Puckerman," Mercedes said with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Bye, lovers," he said, blowing them a kiss, adding a "Happy birthday, dude!" as he drove away.

Mercedes turned back to face Sam once the car was out of sight. "Since you _didn't tell anyone _about your birthday last year," she said, eyeing him accusingly, "I couldn't let this one slip by."

Sam didn't offer a retort. They both knew why he hadn't said anything last year. His family had been kicked out of their home, he was working to help put food on the table, Nationals was coming up, school was abuzz with chatter about the upcoming prom...

Prom. The night everything changed between him and Mercedes. It felt like that was so much longer than a year ago. So much had happened: New York, the secret relationship, the move to Kentucky, their break-up, the stripping gig, his return to Lima, Shane and the drama that surrounded his fight to get Mercedes back-the drama that nearly made him lose her again. Sam squeezed her hips lightly, but possessively.

"So where to?" he asked when she started moving away from him. He reached for her door handle.

Mercedes thanked him silently with a smile when he opened the car door, and she climbed in before replying, "My house."

When they walked into the Jones home, Sam and Mercedes-mainly Sam-were soon accosted by Sandra, her mother.

"Happy birthday, honey," she said, pulling him into a tight hug. He had barely uttered a "thank you" when she released him and disappeared into the living room, returning shortly with a neatly wrapped birthday present. "This is from me and Richard."

She urged him to open it, so he cradled it in his arms and ripped away the shiny silver paper to reveal the entire set of movies leading up to the release of _The Avengers _that month. Sam looked up, eyes wide, while Mercedes and her mother shared a knowing look, complete with mirroring smiles. "Thank you," he said, drawing the older woman into another hug.

"You're welcome," Sandra replied, a hand on his cheek as she smiled at him fondly. She told Sam that she'd let Mr. Jones know that he loved the gift once he got home, since he and Mercedes would more than likely be gone by the time he returned, then excused herself to give them some privacy.

"This is so awesome," Sam said, flipping through the stack of superhero-themed movies in awe. He'd seen them all, but hadn't begun adding to his film collection because money was still a bit tight.

Smiling, Mercedes linked her arm with his and led him into the dining room. It had been decorated with streamers and balloons, there was confetti on the table as well as three gifts. "I know it's a little much," Mercedes said with a soft laugh.

Sam leaned down to kiss her temple. "No, it's great."

She instructed him to sit at the table, then went into the kitchen. There was some banging around, and he thought he heard a hushed swear just before the sound of drawers opening and closing. Then silence. Sam was just about to get up to go check on her when she started singing.

He relaxed into the chair as her voice, soft but soulful, carried into the room, singing "Happy Birthday to You." Mercedes walked in, holding a round cake with white icing on a silver platter. She smiled at him as she sang, setting it down in front of him. There were only five candles, but "Happy Birthday, Sam!" was written on the cake in loopy royal blue cursive.

"Make a wish!" she enthusiastically demanded when the song ended, breaking his gaze. Sam didn't realize he'd been staring at her that hard. He blinked a few times before biting his lip and closing his eyes, thinking that he'd already received what he'd been wanting for a while now, and she was rubbing his shoulder at that moment. So he wished for good health and happiness for his family, and that Mercedes would kiss him after he blew out the candles.

Opening his green eyes, he took them all out in one breath. Mercedes put her hands together in a quiet clap, then leaned down to cup his cheek, placing a chaste kiss on his pink lips. He smiled against her mouth as one of his wishes came true, and rubbed their noses together before leaning in for another kiss, pushing up from the chair just a bit. Mercedes' hair tickled his neck, her lips were soft against his own, and her tongue insistent. She put her hands on his shoulder and pulled away.

"There's strawberry in it," she said, her voice low and her breathing shallow. Sam licked his lips. "In the cake." She hadn't needed to clarify, but when her voice sounded like that, Mercedes could have said it another five times and it still would have sounded like brand new information.

"Would you feed it to me if I asked you to...as a birthday present?" Sam asked playfully, breaking the intensity between them and raising an eyebrow. Mercedes reared back with an amused smile.

She turned her eyes to the ceiling and shrugged, crossing her arms. "I might." Flashing him another smile, she moved quickly around the table to the gifts, sliding them toward him.

She handed him the smallest one first, which was actually a gift bag. Inside, he found new guitar picks with his initials printed on them. As soon as he thanked her, she was sliding the next present to him, a rectangular box wrapped in green paper that matched her dress. There was a _Jurassic Park_ graphic tee and a forest green drawcord hoodie. He laughed, squeezing her hand, remembering their _Jurassic Park _movie night from a few weeks prior.

The last gift was a photo album. Mercedes pulled a chair around to sit next to him. Sam opened it, and was immediately greeted with a picture of himself with Stacy and Stevie at the park by the motel where they used to live. He hadn't seen it before, and it was a beautiful photograph, all three of them beaming. They looked happier than he remembered being at the time. He stared at it for a long while before he looked at Mercedes, tears in his eyes. "Where'd you get this?"

"I took this," she answered. "It was the day of our first kiss."

That kiss must have clouded any memory of them taking pictures that day because there were a few others of him playing guitar, and even one of him and Mercedes from that same afternoon.

"I had some help gathering all of the pictures, so they aren't all mine. I guess you could say it's from glee club."

All of the pictures were from before the move to Kentucky. There were photos of him with the guys, the football team, his family, glee club. There were even some of him with Quinn and Santana, but Mercedes had made sure that none of them looked coupley-not even the ones with her. There were pictures from New York, and she had tossed in some of his favorites from that album they sometimes pored over in her bedroom.

Sam could guess who she got pictures from depending on content and quality. Mike and Quinn had SLRs, Mercedes loved taking pictures outside, especially when silly faces were involved. Tina would often borrow Mike's camera, but her photography style was more dramatic. For example, she had somehow found a way to make a picture from a guys' night playing video games look like art, their faces cast in shadows with the glow from the television hitting in the all the right spots-their focused expressions made them look like warriors. Sam thought it was one of the coolest pictures in the bunch.

His heart clenched at the picture in the very back of the album. He remembered feeling far more pained than he looked, but it was an 8x10 of his whole family-from the day of the move. His father held a hand up, waving at the camera, the other wrapped casually around his mother, who was also grinning as she leaned against him. Stacy was standing in front of her, but was looking at Stevie, a disgusted look on her face as he inspected something on his shirt. Sam smiled, remembering it was a bug the young boy had accidentally smashed while trying to brush off. He looked at himself. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his shoulders back, and a lopsided smile was on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. He'd been trying so hard to smile for Mercedes, to look like he was okay so she wouldn't cry. All she'd wanted was a picture of the Evans family before they were gone for good. They weren't at the motel. They were standing in Mercedes' driveway, and Sam was grateful that the moving truck wasn't in the background. Overall, it was a good family photo. Those who didn't know the back-story wouldn't suspect the sadness that lurked behind it.

"I wasn't sure about putting this one in," Mercedes admitted, placing a hand on his arm and brushing away the tear that Sam hadn't realized was sliding down his cheek. "But I did because even with everything that was going on then, you can see how strong you all are in this picture, how solid your family is." Sam stayed silent and she continued, pointing at his father. "Your dad is the rock. He's standing there with this huge smile on his face, about to start a new life in yet _another _state. He's showing on the outside how he hopes the rest of you will feel once the raw emotions go away. He could be falling apart inside, but he's not going to show it here. There's room for a few tiny cracks, but the rock can't crumble. He has to keep everything cemented-your family cemented. And your mom, even though she's smiling just as big, is literally using your dad for stability, trusting him to hold her up, and he's ready and willing. You can tell by the way his arm is wrapped around her like he's protecting her, reassuring her that it'll be okay."

Was she purposely trying to make him cry? There were tears in Mercedes' eyes now, too, but she kept on, moving her finger to Stacy and Stevie with a tender laugh. "These two are too young to fully understand what's happening. They're off in their own little world. I know they knew things weren't good, but Stevie is still playing with bugs and grossing Stacy out. Then there's you," Mercedes tore her eyes away from the picture and stared directly at him, forcing him to look at her.

"You are, like, the junior rock," she said with a smile, which made him smile, too, and huff out a laugh. "The way you're standing makes you look proud, but a _little _unsure with your hands in your pockets like that. Your smile is all cool and collected. Like you're staying calm even though there's a storm in your eyes." She brushed another tear away. "Not only were you keeping it together for your family, but for me, too," Mercedes said quietly. By the time that picture had been taken, Sam and Mercedes had broken up. They'd called it quits the night before, but when his parents asked if he wanted to go by her house before they left Lima, he hadn't hesitated to say yes.

Sam didn't say anything after her analysis of the photograph. He just took her face in his hands and kissed her hard. He didn't let her face go when they separated and she started speaking again, "I did not mean to make us both cry on your birthday." Her laugh was mixed with a small sob.

"It's okay," Sam said, kissing her forehead, then her lips again. "Thank you. For all of this. And I really needed to hear that, actually." He wondered if he should tell her now that he was in love with her. That he couldn't imagine life without her. That he wanted them to be the rocks of their own family while their three children followed their lead.

"How about some cake now?" Mercedes asked, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll even feed some to you." It was her turn to break the heaviness.

Sam chuckled. "I could go for that."

She went to go get a knife, and in that brief moment of her absence, he imagined that she was his wife, and that this was their house. Maybe that's what else he should have wished for.

"All right, birthday boy, you get first cut," she said, handing him the knife. She set two plates and forks down on the table, and he cut them both modest slices of the white cake with vanilla icing and strawberries slices as filling. Mercedes took a forkful of her cake and held it up to his lips.

"I was kidding about feeding me," Sam said, a blush rising to his cheeks.

"It's already there now," she replied, slightly waving the cake in front of his face. "Might as well take the bite."

"Okay..." Sam scooped some cake onto his fork and held it out to her. "And you take this bite."

They ate the cake from each other at the same time and couldn't help laughing, feeling a little ridiculous. Mercedes leaned over and kissed him gingerly before taking another bite of her cake.

The pair made small talk while they ate, checking the clock to make sure they'd get to Finn and Kurt's house by eight. The Hummel-Hudson's were doing a small birthday dinner for Sam there, and Burt was driving him to Kentucky right after so he could spend the weekend with his family.

When it was time to go, Sam insisted she save some of the cake for herself and her parents-Carole had ordered a sheet cake for him and there was no doubt a third cake would be waiting with his family. The rest, she cut into slices and packed into a container. They gathered Sam's gifts, and he said goodbye to Sandra as she wished him a safe trip. Then, they headed to his second celebration-third, if the movie with the guys right after school counted.

Before they went inside, Mercedes pinned Sam against the car. "One last thing," she said. Sam didn't have time to react before her lips were on his once more. This kiss was _nothing _like the other ones they'd shared that day. There was a raw hunger about it, found in the way she sucked his lip into her mouth and nipped it as she ran her hands up his sides. Unwillingly to let her take full control, Sam pushed forward, making her moan softly when he reciprocated her actions. Their hands were going everywhere, mouths had moved away from lips and were trailing over jawlines and down necks. Sam gripped Mercedes thigh underneath her dress and her fingers were running a course over his abs. It wasn't until she made a motion to unbutton his jeans that Sam jerked back, staring at her wildly, eyes full of lust.

Mercedes smirked at him, and when she spoke, her voice was low and seductive. "Happy birthday, Sam," she said, and started walking up the pathway to the front door, leaving him standing there in her wake.


	10. Christmas Kisses

**Christmas Kisses**

Sam leaned against the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, silently watching his wife read to their son on the couch. Mercedes legs were curled under her and Jacob was practically on her lap, cuddling against his mother as much as he could without blocking the book. She effected different voices for each character, sending the four-year-old into fits of giggles.

"Wait! Say that again!" Jacob exclaimed through his laughter and Mercedes happily obliged. The lights from the Christmas tree cast a colorful glow in its spot on the other end of the couch. Sam's breathing hitched and he could feel the sting of inevitable tears. When they were teenagers, he imagined what life would be like if he married Mercedes Jones, but now they were in their late twenties, and it was a reality. Christmas Eve with their son hadn't occurred to him back then, but he didn't think he could have dreamed up such a beautiful sight if he'd tried.

The young boy's hazel eyes caught Sam in the doorway and he held his arms out to him. "Daddy, come read with us!"

Mercedes looked at him over her shoulder with a smile and jerked her head slightly toward the couch. "We left room and everything," she said with a wink.

Sam walked over to his family, first giving Jacob a kiss on his forehead and then Mercedes, who cupped his cheek and brought his face down to hers. She studied his him for a moment, focusing on his eyes with a knowing smile, and kissed him softly on the lips. Jacob dramatically stuck his tongue out at both of them.

Sam picked him up, tickling the curly-haired child, who was laughing joyously. "Stop! Stop! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what?" Sam asked, still holding him. He turned the boy upside-down, earning another squeal.

"Sticking my tongue out at you and Mommy..._kissing_." Jacob couldn't even get the word out without grimacing, which made Sam sand Mercedes start laughing.

"What about when we kiss you, Jay?" Mercedes asked from her seat on the couch as Sam turned their son upright in his arms.

"That's okay," he said calmly with a shrug.

"_Ooohhh_, I know what this is about," Sam said, nodding. "Jay wants _all _of Mommy's kisses."

Mercedes smiled, thinking she would never get tired of being called "mommy," and Jacob's eyes widened at the accusation. "Nuh-uh!"

Sam's expression turned grave. "I understand, son. Jay gets all the love and Dad gets none."

"No, Dad, no!" Jacob exclaimed, tugging at Sam's shirt. "You get love, too. And kisses."

"Are you sure?" Sam eyed him curiously, and he nodded, his brown curls bouncing over his forehead. "Okay, good." he said, smiling again then quickly blowing a raspberry on his son's cheek, making Jacob scrunch his face up, laughing. Sam sat him back down on the couch next to Mercedes before taking a seat on the other side.

"How about you hold the book so all three of us can see it?" Mercedes suggested and Jacob eagerly took his role, happily snug between his parents. The trio read together and Jacob quieted down, eventually falling asleep in Sam's arms.

"I got him," Sam said, rubbing her thigh. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he hit his bed, Jacob started stirring. "I'm not tired," he said softly, rubbing his eyes.

Sam smiled down at his son, and pushed his curls away from his eyes. "If you don't go to sleep, Santa won't come."

Nodding sleepily, he rolled over onto his pillow. Sam pulled the covers up over his arms, kissed Jacob on his temple and stood to leave. "Goodnight, Daddy," the boy whispered. "Tell Mom goodnight, too."

"Goodnight, Jay," Sam replied with a watery smile as he backed out of the room, turning out the light.

Mercedes was waiting for him when he came back into the living room. He sat down where their son had been previously and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I saw you all emotional earlier," she finally admitted. "You're a softy, Sam Evans."

"As if you didn't know already," he said with a laugh. "Jacob said goodnight."

"My baby boy," Mercedes cooed, picking up Sam's hand and playing with his fingers. "We did good, huh? She asked, looking up at her husband.

"So far, so good," he agreed, smiling warmly when Mercedes set his hand on top of her growing belly. He felt the kicks of his soon-to-arrive daughter and started tearing up again. Mercedes was already wiping away a tear or two. "You pick on me for getting emotional and look at you," he joked.

"I'm pregnant so I get a pass," she replied with a smile, her voice wavering slightly.

He looked down at her with a gentleness that Mercedes hoped never left him. They had been together for ten years and Sam still managed to make her feel the way she did when they were lovesick teenagers. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby. Merry Christmas."

Sam leaned down and captured her mouth in a loving kiss that took her breath away.

"Merry Christmas, darlin'."

The couple stayed up until just after midnight watching _A Christmas Story_, reminiscing on Christmases prior, and imagining their future. Once Mercedes had fallen asleep, Sam went out to his truck to retrieve the rest of the gifts for his son and the ones he hadn't told his wife about, putting them under the tree.

Tomorrow they'd be swept into a whirlwind of friends and family, but Sam was most looking forward to early morning, when it would just be the three of them. He climbed back into bed, wrapping an arm around Mercedes, resting his hand on her stomach. Next year they would be four. Sam felt Mercedes cover his hand with her own and he smiled, closing his eyes. He knew Jacob would be bursting into the room three hours later, demanding to unwrap every gift under the tree, but he wasn't dreading it. His heart was bursting with love and that was worth way more than a little lost sleep.


	11. You Are My Sunshine

_**You Are My Sunshine**_

Class had ended for the day and all that was left was glee club. However, Sam had one more thing to do before gracing the choir room with his presence. The hall had emptied out, which seemed to be happening much faster these days since no one wanted to be unnecessarily hanging out at school when they could be enjoying the comforts of their own home in this cool weather.

Mercedes was at her locker. Sam saw her coming down the hall in her purple dress and lacy black shrug and was having trouble keeping his eyes off of her. She looked beautiful today. She looked beautiful everyday. Closing his locker, Sam walked over to her, holding a box that was poorly wrapped in the comics section from Sunday's paper. "Hey Mercedes."

She beamed at him, pulling out the books she'd need for homework. "Hey Sam! Glad you didn't sneak up on me this time," she joked, narrowing her eyes at him. She was in a good mood. He wanted to hold her, but resisted the urge to pull her into his embrace. She had a boyfriend and he had to respect those boundaries, but friends were allowed to give friends gifts, right?

"I, uh, I got you a present." Sam smiled, handing her the box.

"Sam, you didn't-"

"I know."

"I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay."

"Do you want me to open it now?"

"If you don't mind."

Mercedes grinned as Sam took her books and held them for her. His heart swelled when he saw how gingerly she unwrapped the gift, despite it's shoddy appearance. The grin she wore vanished when she saw what was in the box and she looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth agape before it shakily transformed into a tender smile. "Sam..." she said softly, lifting the music box from the tissue paper as she continued in a whisper, "How did you know?"

"You told me about it," he replied with a shrug, shifting his backpack on his shoulder.

"I did?" Mercedes asked as she wound up the music box so it could play its song. She searched her mind, recounting moments with Sam that she'd tucked away since he left. Moments she'd only allow herself to relish while she was alone because they always ended with the reminder that he left and she couldn't always control her tears. "I did," she said matter-of-factly as "You Are My Sunshine" began to play. The memory of that summer afternoon came rushing back to her. "You remembered that?"

_The couple was sitting side-by-side on the floor of Mercedes' living room, going through an old Jones family photo album. Sam had been begging to see some pictures of Mercedes as a kid and she'd finally obliged. There were some funny ones in there and some embarrassing ones that Mercedes barely let him get a peek at before quickly turning the page._

"_Oh man," she said, pointing at a picture of a very young Mercedes fascinated by a wooden music box. The figure of a princess could barely be seen due to the angle of the picture, but it was unmistakable. "My Grandpa James gave me that music box and it was, like, my favorite thing _ever_. I wish I still had it."_

"_What happened to it?" Sam asked, noticing the forlorn expression on her face._

"_It was stolen just before we moved into this house. I was so upset, too. It played 'You Are My Sunshine.' I used to walk around the house winding that box up and singing along with it for hours. It drove my parents crazy," she explained. "Grandpa James used to sing that song to me every time I saw him." A dreamy smile played on her lips as she remembered her grandfather. "He died two years ago. I miss him," she finished sadly. _

_Sam put an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sure he's watching over you, Cede. Still singing, too."_

_She laughed softly. "Oh, I know he is. Probably entertaining everybody up there, too." They were quiet, taking an impromptu moment of silence for Grandpa James. Sam wondered where he could find the music box and decided he would start searching for it around town next week. Mercedes flipped a few more pages in the album when another one caught her attention that made her laugh loudly._

"_What is going on here?" Sam asked, amused. Mercedes and one of her brothers had apparently gotten into some powder and it was all over them from head to toe. Mercedes hair looked like a lion's mane and it was completely white. In fact, the only thing you could really make out of the two children were their eyes. Both of them had a look of terror on their faces as if they'd been caught being up to no good. And they had been._

"_Okay, this is what happened..." Mercedes launched into the tale, sending Sam into fits of laughter as she told him the aftermath of the whole ordeal, which included this picture making an appearance in a slideshow at a family reunion ten years later. _

"After hearing you talk about it, I made up my mind that you were going to get it. I just didn't know how long it would take to find," Sam explained. He hadn't been able to find the music box anywhere in Lima. After his family moved, the hunt for the wooden music box with a princess inside of it that played "You Are My Sunshine" was postponed. He ended up finding it without even trying.

The Evans had been in a thrift store in Kentucky, shopping for clothes, and Sam had been aimlessly wandering around having already picked out a few items. He was looking at a shelf of toys when it caught his eye. The box was sitting right on the top shelf, a little dusty, and Sam grabbed it immediately, wondering if it could actually be the one. He wound it up and when the notes to "You Are My Sunshine" started playing, he nearly dropped it out of shock. With the little money he had saved, he bought the music box, unsure of how he'd get it to Mercedes. Luckily, Rachel and Finn had shown up at his house thee weeks later with the proposal to get him back to Lima and the rest was history.

The music stopped playing and Mercedes carefully set the box down in her open locker then took her books back from him and did the same. A tear was rolling down her cheek when she looked at him again, but she didn't bother wiping it away before pouncing on him in a hug that made him stumble backwards a step or two. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against his and realizing just _how much _he missed it. He tightened his grip, closing his eyes and taking in her scent of cinnamon and cocoa butter.

"Thank you, Sam," she said in his ear. Her breath on his neck gave him goosebumps. It was becoming difficult to resist turning his head into the crook of her neck so he was the one to start pulling away first.

"You're welcome," he said, his hands still resting on her waist. To be fair, Mercedes hadn't removed her arms from over his shoulders so he didn't feel too guilty about it. "I know it's not the exact music box that your grandpa gave you, but-"

She shushed him. "So it doesn't have a few bangs and scratches from me dropping it or the 'M.J' I carved on the bottom with a pencil. It looks the same, it plays the same song and just holding it made me remember all the same feelings I had when he first gave it to me, when it still looked all shiny and brand new. I can't believe you found it. The company doesn't even make them anymore." Mercedes looked lost in thought as she spoke the last sentence, then pulled Sam in for another, shorter hug. "Now I really do feel bad about not getting you anything," she said, wiping her face with a laugh as she backed away from him, her arms dropping at her sides.

Sam held his hands up to protest. "Don't feel bad, Cede! Just being back at McKinley and being able to see you everyday is enough of a gift." He rose his eyebrows and smiled brightly as Mercedes shook her head.

"You really are something else," she said, looking up at him and holding her gaze. Sam's cheeks reddened under her stare. He watched her features soften as if she was really seeing him for the first time. She cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. "We should probably get to glee club before we're late," she said, "I have to sing today."

"Oh yeah! What did you decide to sing?" He asked, helping her collect her things for the short walk to the choir room. He insisted on holding her books while she carried the music box.

"Mariah Carey. All I Want for Christmas is You," she replied and Sam's head jerked in her direction.

"Had anyone in mind when you picked that song?" He prodded.

"_Sam_..." Mercedes shot him a warning look.

He laughed. "I was just asking! Innocent question."

Mercedes pursed her lips. "Mmhmm..."

They continued their walk to the choir room, chatting about their Christmas plans. Sam was driving back to Kentucky to be with his family and she would have a house full of guests for the holiday. When they reached the choir room, Sam handed Mercedes her books as Rachel ambushed them with their tasks for Christmas decorations. Mercedes was on tree duty while Sam and Finn decorated the piano.

Before collecting the ornaments, Mercedes snuck another peek at her music box and smiled, unaware that Sam was watching her wistfully. As much as he wanted to be the one holding her, kissing her, and loving her, if she was happy then he was happy. He smiled, turning his attention back to arranging the stack of hollow presents sitting atop the piano, just missing Mercedes bringing her eyes up from her gift to look at him with a wistful expression of her own.


	12. Playing with Heartstrings

**Playing with Heartstrings**

It had been a week since she'd seen Sam outside of school.

And it hurt.

He hadn't even tried to call. Mercedes was sure he was still upset with her, so she avoided him. She couldn't blame him. He had been up front about his intention to get her back before she had broken up with Shane, and now that relationship was done, but Mercedes still resisted. Since the break-up a month ago, she and her former summer flame had been spending more time together, falling into old habits easily.

Back were the Doctor Who marathons, heated discussions of Marvel vs. DC, experimental cookie baking, and the Mercedes-led dance lessons that were pleasure and punishment for the ex-stripper. But unbeknownst to the diva, he'd seen the way she watched the much-improved swivel in his hips with a distracted but discreet smile tugging at her lips. Sharing laughs again had been easy. Getting Mercedes to start confiding in him was a little more challenging, but Sam didn't force it, and had been genuinely astonished when she came to him for comfort after splitting with her bulldozer of a boyfriend. Not only had things gotten back to normal, they were better than they were before. When Sam flirted, she even flirted back without guilt. Although, whenever the subject of becoming official again came up, Mercedes shied away.

A week ago, Sam's frustration came to the hilt. A week ago, he walked away from her, and now it was eating her up inside.

Mercedes was left alone with her thoughts on a Saturday afternoon, choosing to stay at home instead of going to a basketball game with her parents. She had so much on her mind, and most of it revolved around a certain golden-haired gentleman who'd gone so far as to jump into the art of synchronized swimming to impress her. She smiled, aimlessly running her fingers along the keys of the piano. She missed him. He wasn't even half an hour away from her now and she was purposely holding out for reasons even she wasn't _completely _sure about. Maybe it was time to stop that.

She picked up her cell phone that was sitting atop the black baby grand and called Sam.

"Hey Mercedes," he answered as if they had just talked yesterday.

Mercedes suppressed the voice that told her to to question why he'd been so distant, sticking to the task at , she knew why. "Hey, are you busy? I was wondering if you could come over."

Sam hesitated. Mercedes' stomach lurched. "Right now?"

"Do you have something better to do?" She asked. It was meant to be a joke, but she winced when she picked up how it may have sounded. "I mean, right now would be great. I think we should talk-about us."

Silence again. Was he trying to kill her?

His voice was placid. "Yeah, I'll head over right now. I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay," she said, knowing he could tell she was smiling into the phone. "I'll see you soon."

Sam was at her house in twenty minutes, dressed in dark blue jeans, a Captain America t-shirt and a red hoodie. One of her favorite outfits because of the way the shirt clung to his toned arms. He wrapped her into a hug once she closed the door behind him.

"I missed you," Mercedes said before she could stop herself. She felt Sam tense and then hug her tighter.

"I'm sorry," he replied in her ear. "Had a lot on my mind."

They stood there awkwardly, looking at their feet and then each other, and then at the walls. "So..." Sam spoke up. "We need to talk?" His jaw clenched. This conversation could go either way and he was on the fence with his prediction about it.

"Yeah..." At first, Mercedes didn't know where to begin, but her thoughts flew back to the piano and she got an idea. "I want to show you something," she said, suddenly taking him by the hand and leading him to the piano room. She pulled a chair near the instrument and instructed Sam to sit, while she took her seat in front of the piano. "I never got a chance to play piano for you before you left," she explained from the bench, "and after you left, I started playing more than I have in the past five years."

"That's great, Cede...ignoring the circumstances." Sam smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

She laughed bitterly, "Yeah, seriously."

Another awkward silence.

"Look, I know the past two months have been hard. Not being able to be with the person you want to be with." Sam suspected she wasn't only talking about him. "And I know you've gotten frustrated waiting around for me-"

"Cede-"

"Wait, there's more," she said sweetly, raising a hand up. "I love being your friend, Sam, and after you walked out last week, I was starting to think you were finally giving up on dating me..."

Staring at his hands, he scowled, wondering where she was going with this. Was she not just hinting at the fact that she wanted to be more than friends? Was she backtracking? Was he crazy?

"...and hoping that you weren't." His head snapped back up in surprise, and Mercedes smiled helplessly. "It took me feeling like I was losing you again to accept that I never gave up on you either...and I'm sorry it took so long," she said earnestly, then twisted her body toward the piano. She continued looking at him, her brown eyes intense, begging him to give her his full attention. "I'm not just playing this for you to hear me play, Sam. I want you to _really _listen."

He watched as her fingers began moving effortlessly over the keys, playing a soft melody. When Mercedes began singing, she sounded powerful and vulnerable all at once, and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

_One look and I'm done_

_One glance from your eyes_

_And I'm captivated_

The opening lines took him back to the day he returned to McKinley, the first day he saw Mercedes again and realized he wasn't remotely close to being over her. He remembered getting ahead of himself, grabbing her hand in the hallway. Her fingers laced with his for a split second, and for a moment, they were back in June.

_The taste of your skin_

_The warmth of your hungry lips_

_Has me so taken and I_

_Love the way you can make me dance_

_From miles away_

Even when she'd been with Shane, Sam was constantly at the back of Mercedes' mind. It was an internal battle she tried fighting time and time again, but memories of her blond comic book-loving ex won more often than not. Eventually, she gave in, letting herself revel in her bittersweet fantasies of what was and what could have been as a guilty pleasure. She'd lost count of how many times she ended up laying in bed, smiling sadly through tears as she reminisced.

The lyrics touched Sam, too. He recalled sitting in his bedroom in Kentucky, wondering if they had made a mistake by deciding not to continue their relationship after he moved. After all, it wasn't like he was across the country. He was four hours away. But they were too young...right? The question of whether or not they made the correct choice gave him a headache, so he often let his thoughts cloud with mental snapshots from their time together-from prom to New York, late night study sessions while babysitting, their first kiss in the park, how she felt in his arms. Everything had been so surprisingly _right_, and he hadn't wanted to let go.

_When I'm with you I'm so sedated_

_I'm captivated by you_

_You're just like the wind 'cause_

_Everything moves when you're around it_

_The sun is just like the sound of_

_Your voice in the morning_

_When you light my world up and I_

Sam and Mercedes had woken up together twice, once by accident and the other out of necessity. The first time was when Mercedes' parents were gone for the weekend so she invited Sam over for a movie night. He came over late after a pizza delivery shift and they'd stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, falling asleep in Mercedes' bed wrapped in each others arms. Mercedes was greeted with Sam's smiling face cast in the glow of early morning sunlight, which freaked her out-she never had a guy watch her sleep before-but he'd gently kissed her forehead and said "Good morning," his voice still ragged.

Sam smiled to himself, remembering how less than a minute later, they were both running around looking for his cell phone so he could call his parents to let them know he wasn't murdered in a ditch somewhere, and would be returning to the motel immediately.

The second time was the morning he left for Kentucky, which had been preceded by a night of cuddling, sweet talking, soft kisses, and finally, hard decisions. Mr. Jones hadn't been thrilled with the idea of his daughter's boyfriend spending the night, but after his wife explained what was going on and said Sam would sleep in the living room, he begrudgingly gave permission. He nearly blew a gasket when he came downstairs that morning to see Mercedes and Sam sleeping on the couch. Or rather, he _thought_ they were sleeping until he heard Mercedes sniffle softly and saw the slow movement of Sam's hand over her back. They were whispering to each other and his heart broke when he heard the teenage girl choke back a sob, unable to keep it quiet. He slipped out of the room to give them a few more minutes of privacy before he'd separate them.

_Love the way you can make me dance _

_From miles away_

Sam could have sworn he heard her voice falter, but it was so slight, he suspected he imagined it. A second later, he noticed the tear rolling down her cheek, and had to push back the urge hold her right then.

_When I'm with you I'm never jaded,_

_I'm captivated_

_Oh,_

_I'll never stop believing_

_In this crazy love we're leading_

_Oh_

_Sugar, hold me close and_

_Make me sweeter,_

_I need you,_

_I love you_

Mercedes voice rose up in a crescendo and Sam's heart ascended with it. Her tone was pleading, and Sam was hearing the message loud and clear. He didn't know where she'd heard this song, nor did he care, all he knew was every word of it was so flawlessly _them_. Just as smoothly as she'd belted the lyrics, Mercedes softened her voice and turned to look at him, smiling the smile of a girl hopelessly succumbing to her feelings. His mouth twitched into a half-grin.

_So, please, show me that smile_

_Make me laugh for just_

_A little while_

_Then breathe me one breath I_

_Only need one to fill_

_The emptiness and I_

_Love the way you can make me dance_

_From miles away_

_It's been so long, but now,_

_I've waited and I'm captivated_

Mercedes looked down at the black and white keys as her fingers slowed to a stop, taking a deep breath when silence filled the room. "Please say something," she said softly, not looking up at Sam, who hadn't stirred. Did she just make a fool out of herself? Had he grown tired of waiting for her? Tired of hanging out with her only as a friend when they both knew he wanted more? When they both knew _she _wanted more? Mercedes wasn't blind to the flicker of hope in his eyes every time she kissed his cheek or hugged him goodbye, but it had been too soon. Her break-up with Shane was still fresh and she couldn't just immediately jump back into another relationship with Sam, no matter what her heart said.

Mercedes lifted her head in his direction, and had a hard time deciphering his expression. Sam was kind of smiling that crooked smile she loved, but his furrowed brow and slightly wide eyes made him look like he was either really concerned or fighting the urge to cry. She started rambling, "You've been really patient with me these past few weeks, and um...I thought you should know how I feel. Right now. I never stopped feeling this way, really, I just couldn't-you know, with everything with Sh-"

"Mercedes..." Sam rasped, surprised at the sound of his own voice, riddled with emotion. He didn't want to hear the name of her ex. He stood up and walked to the piano bench. Placing a hand on her cheek, he wiped away the tears she'd shed during the song, then lifted her left hand, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Mercedes' breath hitched as she watched him do it, his eyes closing and his lips lingering a little longer than necessary. Instead of letting her hand go, he pulled her into a standing position, their hands now pressed against his chest. "So...does this mean...?"

She begins to nod, but Sam catches her chin with his fingers, tilting her face up to really look at him.

"Say it." He pressed his forehead against hers.

"I want to be with you," Mercedes whispered. Her eyes were closed so she missed his smile broaden.

He copied her whisper. "Say it again, but look at me this time."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and the gleam in Sam's made her forget to breathe for a moment. Mercedes didn't say it again. Throwing caution to the wind as one of her hands gripped his bicep and the other wound up in his hair, she pulled him down in a searing kiss. Surprised, his eyes widened, but when she ran her tongue along his bottom lip, his brain registered what was happening.

Sam wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him as closely as he could. The kiss was frantic, full of all the passion they could muster as if it could be snatched away again in an instant. Neither wanted to let the other go. Not again. Mercedes whimpered softly and Sam backed her against the side of the piano, placing one hand firmly against its edge for support. Her hands twisted the front of his hoodie, pulling him closer, if it was possible. Soon, all that could be heard was their heavy breathing and the shuffle of bodies and clothing as they moved together. Mercedes used her hand to brace herself on the case of the piano, but it slipped onto the keys, the jarring noise shaking them out of their romantic reunion.

They laughed, both blushing. Mercedes raised a hand to cup Sam's cheek. "I want to be with you," she said again, louder and looking directly into his green eyes. "But..."

His brow furrowed and he began a take a step back until Mercedes wrapped her arms around him.

"I just want to know what it's going to mean when you leave again. Because we both know you have to leave again, Sam."

He sighed, dropping his arms to his sides, but she didn't let him go. "You're leaving, too, you know," he replied. Now she looked confused. "Mercedes, high school ends in a few months. You're going to college in New York, and won't be here anymore." Sam smiled, remembering how excited she'd been to tell him about her acceptance letter.

How did she not think of it from his perspective? They were _both _leaving.

"I'll be here until we both have to leave for college. Until then, I go where you go," he said, leaning down so their foreheads were touching once more.

"You don't have to follow me. I just don't want you to leave me," Mercedes responded quietly, locking eyes with him.

"I'm not going to," he said, sure of himself, then added, "And what you said goes for you, too." Sam kissed her again then, attempting to wipe away her fears and worries, and extinguish his own as well. There was no way he was letting her get away from him again.

With the big issue in the open and out of the way, Mercedes and Sam were more at ease. Sam was enjoying his freedom to kiss her whenever he wanted again and she jokingly warned him not to use them all up in a day. He smiled against her lips. "These are never-ending, sweetheart," he replied, his southern drawl slipping into his speech.

They were up in her bedroom, laughing over old pictures on the floor in front of her bed. Doubled over one Sam had taken of Mercedes doing her best rock star snarl while holding her guitar, and a thought suddenly struck her. "I have a surprise for you!"

His eyebrows went up. "A naughty surprise?"

She stared at him incredulously, then laughed. "Uh...no. Mind out of the gutter, homeboy."

"I had to ask after what went on downstairs. _That _was surprising."

Mercedes bit back her smile, pushing at his chest before standing up. "Behave," she warned, heading to her closet.

"Don't I always?" He asked. She leaned back to look at him from the closet doorway, pursing her lips at Sam's "I'm-amused-at-myself" grin. When she came back out, she had her guitar in tow.

Sam was immediately reminded of the weeks he tried teaching Mercedes how to play the wooden instrument, and how they always ended up with kiss-swollen lips and in a tangled mess of limbs that brought lessons to a halt every time. "I thought you said it wasn't a naughty surprise," he said, smirking and cocking an eyebrow.

She narrowed her eyes at him, smiling because she remembered, too. "See, this is why you had to stop giving me lessons."

"No, I had to stop giving you lessons because I moved. Teaching you how to play guitar was one of my favorite things," he said, leaning back against her bed, now grinning. "Or trying to teach you, at least. They were always such mind-blowing failures."

Mercedes laughed loudly, shaking her head. She handed the guitar to him. "Will you tune it for me?" She had gone to her uncle's house so he could teach her how to tune it once before, but Sam would be able to do it much faster. He took it from her and went to work. "I learned a song," she said and the awe on Sam's face made it worth it.

"You did?" He asked with a warm smile, proud of her.

She nodded. "I'm still not that great, but I don't think it sounds like a hot mess."

"I'm sure it doesn't," he assured her. "Or maybe it does. Which means you'd need more lessons, Cookie." He winked.

Her jaw dropped and her entire face felt warm. He hadn't called her that since he'd been back in Lima. Of course the guitar would remind him of it, and now he probably wouldn't stop.

"You thought I forgot," he said as if reading her mind. There was that "I'm-Sam-Evans-and-I'm-hilarious" smile again.

"More like _hoped_," she mumbled.

"Never."

Mercedes just shook her head. This was their thing. He'd call her "Cookie," and she'd complain, but deep down, she knew she liked it. In private. It always reminded her of steamy make-out sessions on the living room couch, in the motel room, or in her bedroom, and there was no sense in getting hot and bothered in places where they couldn't do anything about it.

"I don't want you to freak out because of the lyrics. It's not exactly a happy song," she said once he finished tuning the guitar, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "But it's the only one I really learned." She shrugged and Sam smiled at her encouragingly.

In fact, it was the song she learned to play _because _of him. Because she missed him. She was reintroduced to it randomly on the internet one day and hadn't been able to stop listening. After a few nights of listening to it and falling asleep to memories of their weeks together, she found the sheet music, grabbed her guitar and started teaching herself to play it. Lessons with Sam hadn't completely gone to waste, and she was surprised to find that she'd retained some information besides the places to kiss her boyfriend that drove him crazy. The curve of his jaw under his ear had been her favorite.

Once she'd incorporated singing into it, Mercedes had trouble for a while getting through the entire song without crying, and she hoped that wouldn't be the case today. She was nervous enough playing for him, no reason to add tears to the mix.

Sam got up from the floor and sat at the foot of her bed, looking like a puppy about to get a treat. Mercedes giggled, then started strumming, humming along with the opening chords.

_All I hear is raindrops falling on the rooftop _

_Ooh, baby, tell me why'd you have to go_

_'Cause this pain I feel it won't go away _

_And today I'm officially missing you _

She played carefully, slightly slower than the actual song.

_I thought that from this heartache _

_I could escape _

_But I fronted long enough to know _

_There ain't no way and today _

_I'm officially missing you_

Sam knew she basically told him to ignore the lyrics of the song, but it didn't stop his smile from vanishing. Seeing the look on his face, Mercedes tripped over some of the notes then stopped.

"No, no, keep going, you're doing great," Sam said, waving his hands. He wasn't trying to worry her, but when she said it wasn't a happy song, he wasn't expecting that. He knew that this wasn't just _any _song that she picked to learn. This was Mercedes after he left.

She picked up where she left off, but knew he caught the obvious significance of the song. It would have been okay if he hadn't reacted to it. "_Of course he reacted to it,"_ she thought. This was Sam.

_Oooh, can't nobody do it like you _

_Said every little thing you do _

_Hey baby say it, stays on my mind _

_And I, I'm officially _

Damn him for being so transparent with his feelings right now. Sam looked slightly pained, and considering she was trying to hold it together, he was not helping. She soon felt the familiar sting of tears to come, and her voice cracked, but she pushed on through it.

_Well I thought I could just get over you baby _

_But I see that's something I just can't do _

_From the way you would hold me _

_To the sweet things you told me _

_I just can't find a way to let go of you _

Mercedes flinched when the first tear rolled down her cheek, and frustratedly rolled her eyes after the second. Sam got up from the bed and walked over to her, his gaze piercing, his expression apologetic. It was too much. Mercedes stopped playing, singing the last part of the song a cappella as he delicately brushed away her tears for the second time that day.

_Oooh, can't nobody do it like you _

_Said every little thing you do _

_Hey baby say it, stays on my mind _

_And I, I'm officially missing you_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry," Sam said, chuckling softly.

"You didn't," Mercedes said, taking off the guitar and setting it against the wall. "Well, you kinda did." She wiped her face again, in case Sam missed any. "Well...?"

"That was awesome! But it was a downer." he said.

"I told you!" She shook a finger at him. "I'll learn a happier one."

"I'll teach you one!" Sam exclaimed excitedly, holding his arms out like it was the obvious decision.

"Okay," Mercedes agreed. "Another day, though. I think I've put us through enough with these songs today," she said, only partially joking.

"I'm glad I know how you feel, Mercy," Sam said seriously. "And I missed you, too. Every day. Especially like this." He squeezed her hand, then pulled her close again.

Damn him for being so transparent with his feelings right now. Mercedes pushed some hair out of his face then pulled him down for a kiss, clasping her hands behind his neck. Before their lips made contact, she smirked and whispered, "How about some cookies?"

He quickly reared back to stare at her, mouth hanging open briefly before curving into a smile. Sam's grin was cartoonish and infectious. "I knew you liked it."

"Just keeping you on your toes, Sammy."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, nuzzling his face into her neck. "I'm happy we're back together."

Mercedes smiled, running her fingers through his soft hair. The statement was so innocent, so simple, so _Sam_.

And she was happy, too.


	13. New York Engagements

**New York Engagements**

Tina teetered through tables and across the cafe to where Sam and Mike were huddled in a corner booth. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she exclaimed.

"I thought you were going to beat us here. You could barely keep it together yesterday," Mike joked, letting his fiancee slide in next to him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek to soothe the unimpressed look on her face.

"Well, Mercedes didn't want to leave the apartment," she explained and Sam's eyebrows shot up in worry. "She _did _leave, finally, after some convincing from me and her parents, which is why I'm late."

"Thank God. I don't really have a back-up plan..." the nervous blond admitted.

Mercedes graduated yesterday, and all she'd been talking about over the course of her non-stop busy week was getting some needed relaxation. She'd told Sam her agenda: graduate, spend the rest of her week in bed with her boyfriend. The conversation took a trip down the gutter right after that with less talking and more heavy breathing into the receiver. However, with his parents and Mercedes' family in New York for the graduation, the likelihood of any body rocking went out of the window with her mother's insistence on sleeping over (leaving the Jones men to their own devices at the hotel).

"What?! I thought you wrote down five or six ideas last month when we were talking about it!" Mike's voice matched Tina's dumbfounded expression.

Sam shrugged, folding and unfolding his hands. "I started to...and then drew a bunch of characters for my web comic."

Shaking her head, Tina crossed her arms. "I knew I should have asked to look at that notebook."

According to her roommate, Mercedes wasn't too thrilled about going to Central Park with her family, but her brothers, Adrian and Brian, put up a big to-do, saying that they never got a chance to really see it the few times they visited. Because their "beautiful sister" wasn't planning on staying in the city much longer, who knew when they'd be back again? Just as Mercedes went to counter, her father spoke up saying a walk through the park sounded like a good thing they could all do together, a time for some reflection, earning a groan from all of his children. He won them over when he said he'd treat everyone to ice cream.

"I was _this close _to going with them," Tina said, taking one of the fries from the plate that had just been brought to the table. She snatched up the dessert menu. "Oooh, you guys wanna split a sundae?"

Sam had been counting on Tina to be freaking out about tonight. Keeping her calm would have distracted him enough to stay cool. She must have wasted all of her energy yesterday when she almost blurted it out between bursting into tears. Luckily, Mercedes figured it was just the excitement of seeing her best friend finishing college. "We don't have time!" he reminded her. "I have to meet them at the park in two hours."

"Is that enough time to get everything set up?" Mike asked.

"More than enough," Sam said with a smile, "Kurt should already be there setting up, and Tina, we'll get you some ice cream on the way back to the apartment, okay?" he playfully tossed a fry at her, and she was quick to pluck it right back.

"Deal."

"Okay, man, crunch time! How are you feeling?" Mike asked, slamming his hands down on the table.

"Like I have to remind myself to breathe." Sam didn't even have an appetite, opting to rip fries in half on the table when he wasn't coursing his hands through his hair.

Mike pulled the plate between him and Tina and laughed. "Sounds about right."

Slender fingers stopped the savage destruction of potatoes in his hands. "You are going to be fine," Tina assured him. "As much as you two talked about it before, it's really just a matter of you asking for real this time."

With his game face on, Mike nodded. "The scrimmage is over, dude. This is the one that counts."

* * *

After getting a long pep talk from Tina and Mike, they stopped to get dessert for the woman with a sweet tooth, and went back to the apartment she shared with Mercedes so he could shower before hustling to meet Mercedes at Central Park. He called Adrian to get their location and surprised her when she was enjoying an ice cream cone.

Mercedes stood up from the bench, and his eyes nearly bugged out at the sight of her, fresh-faced and carefree in a yellow sundress and sandals. "What are you doing here?" she asked, and his tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth. "Sam? You okay?"

Brian widened his eyes at him and cocked his head toward his sister, letting Sam know to get it together.

"I'm fine, sorry. I was, er, I was hoping to steal you away from your family for a little while."

"I thought you were sight-seeing with your parents today?" she asked. He forgot he told her that. His parents were actually with Kurt, Rachel and Blaine. His father called him fifteen minutes ago to say that everything was ready to go.

"We finished early," he said simply. "Y'all don't mind, right?" Sam asked the other Joneses.

"No, take her, we'll see you two later, _riiiiight_?" Adrian said, winking without any subtlety. His father gave him a silencing look and the family said their goodbyes to the couple in a hasty retreat.

"My family..." Mercedes sighed. "My parents gave us a whole speech about marriage today. It would have been sweet if it wasn't so awkward."

"What made it awkward?" Sam asked, holding her hand.

"Adrian made some stupid comment and it went from marriage to a second version of the sex talk."

"_Oh._" His cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.

"Birds and the Bees for the advanced listener," she said with a laugh, leaning into him, "This time with tips on raising children. Sometimes, I really can't with them."

He was hesitant to continue this conversation. It was nerve-wracking enough to have her engagement ring practically burning a hole into the pocket of his blazer, and he was afraid he might spoil everything if they started talking about their future. However, Mercedes was the one to change direction.

"Let's go back to the apartment," she suggested seductively. "I convinced my mom to stay at the hotel tonight. And Tina will be at Mike's, so..."

As tempting as that was, they had to stick to the plan. "I want to take you somewhere first," he replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "But after that..." he waggled his eyebrows at her and she copied the action, sending them both into a laughing fit.

Sam hailed a cab and took her to a bookstore next to a small coffee shop that Mercedes recognized immediately, but she hadn't come back here since that afternoon five years ago.

"This is where you told me that you _liked _me liked me," she joked, entwining their fingers as they stood in front of the closed shop.

"It is," Sam confirmed, smiling down at her. "And I tried to get you to kiss me, but you wouldn't, even though we were in New York for the first time and timing was perfect."

"I was being cautious-"

"Or a chicken-"

Mercedes scoffed, amused. "No! You could have been messing with me."

He rolled his eyes. "Like I'd mess with you like that."

"I didn't know back then."

"You knew me well enough to know _that_."

"Fine, I regret not kissing you then," she finally admitted.

"Well," Sam traced the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "I was hoping we could change that. Have a re-do."

She sucked air through her teeth, pretending to be unsure, then repeated her words from the first time they wandered there. "I dunno, Sam...I mean, I like you, too, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Sam quieted her with his mouth, placing one hand on her cheek as she melted into his touch.

Mercedes hummed happily against his lips. "Why are we just coming back here now? We should have had a do-over years ago..." she purred.

"I'm glad we didn't. I don't think any do-over could be better than this one." his voice alluded to more, but Mercedes didn't question it. "Wanna go in there?" he asked, pointing to the closed, waist-high wrought iron gate that didn't look welcoming at all as it led down a short, dim-lit alleyway.

"We can't go in there," she said, pulling back on his hand. "It's private property!"

He pushed the gate and it creaked open. "What happened to your sense of adventure?"

"Excuse me? I have plenty of adventure sense."

"Adventure sense?"

"You know what I mean."

As they got closer to the end of the path, his heartbeat grew louder. He squeezed Mercedes' hand a little tighter as he held his pace two steps ahead of her.

"Sam, we have to turn around, they're having a party or something..." Mercedes said, slowing down when she noticed the arch of deep purple balloons coming into view.

Sam smiled softly at her. "It is a party. It's your party."

They turned the corner and she gasped, stopping completely. The small courtyard had been decorated in shades of purple and silver, with draped fabric hanging from the balconies of the surrounding apartments, up to the second floor. Paper lanterns hung from the few scattered light posts, giving a soft golden glow to the area. There wasn't a stage, but an area had been cleared for a piano and three mic stands holding glittery microphones similar to the ones they used in glee club years ago. Even the water coming out of the fountain was purple. In front of it, a tall, round table with a bouquet of white orchids and an envelope with "Mercedes" written in Sam's scratchy script on it. The three other tables like it held single flickering lights made to resemble candles, sitting atop scattered rose petals. He was going to have to thank Kurt and his friends later. This was amazing.

"Oh my God, this is...wow..." Mercedes said, walking to the fountain and then looking up to take in the scenery. "This is for me?" she asked, her face lit up. "Is it just us? Is this for graduation? Who else is coming?"

The questions were coming rapidly as she swept around the courtyard, looking at everything, tapping the keys of the piano, observing the lanterns, and finally trailing a hand through the fountain. While she was away from him, Sam looked up to the window over the piano that Kurt directed him to earlier that week-a friend's apartment, and saw a few heads of their friends peeking through, giving him the thumbs up. He smiled at them just as Mercedes joined him at the table.

"Right now, it's just us," Sam said, picking up the orchids and handing them to her. His hands were starting to sweat as his nerves kicked in again.

"These are beautiful. All of this is beautiful. Sam..." her voice faded out and she wrapped an around him to say thank you with a kiss.

While wrapped up in each other, a young man sporting a pompadour, one of Rachel's friends from school, walked out to sit at the piano and began playing the music for "Captivated," which startled her off of him. Sam had suggested Blaine play the tune at first, but Tina and Kurt both objected, saying it would pull her attention away from him if someone they knew came out before the big moment.

"Dance with me?" he asked, holding a hand out to her. Setting down her flowers, she eagerly walked into his arms. Sam wondered if she could tell how on edge he was.

It didn't seem like it when she began singing to him as they swayed together, "The sun is just like the sound of your voice in the morning when you light my world up and I love the way you can make me dance from miles away..." Her singing broke into laughter as he twirled her around then pulled her close again. Mercedes rested her head on his shoulder and played with the hair at his nape. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too." This was it. Sam dropped his hands from her waist and grabbed her hand. "Come on, there's more." The piano player continued playing the song on loop, and they both noticed he added a certain flare to it. Not so much that it took away from the simplistic beauty of the song, but rather enhanced it in a way.

He picked up the envelope and gave it to her, then glanced back up at the window to see Tina, Rachel, and Kurt almost pressed against the glass, huge grins on their faces. They were being shooed away by Blaine to make room for their parents when he tore his eyes away before Mercedes could follow his gaze. "I can't believe you did all this for my graduation," she said as they sat down on a bench along the edge of the courtyard.

"_What?" _he thought, surprised that she really didn't have an idea of what he was about to do. Didn't women have a sixth sense that predicted this sort of thing? The graduation seemed like a distant memory. "It's not _exactly _for your graduation..." he said, tapping the envelope as a indication for her to open it.

Confusion crossed her face before a flicker of realization that was quickly replaced with doubt and then wonder. _Now _she had an idea. There was his heartbeat again, echoing in his ears. Mercedes slowly pulled out the letter he'd written to her, and Sam noticed the slight tremor of her fingers.

_Mercedes,_

_Every "proposal" before this was a test run of the inevitable._

_- Sam_

When her head jerked up, eyes wide, he was mentally reminding himself not to pass out.

Sam laughed nervously. "I feel like I've had so much practice, I shouldn't be shaking in my shoes right now..." Mercedes lips twitched into a wavering smile. "Um, when I was little, I was taught to go after what I want and give it everything I've got, but...as I grew up, that became going after what I needed and doing everything I could-no matter what-to provide. There was a reason that when I had no business gettin' mixed up in love, I couldn't be away from you. I just didn't realize it until we were here in New York five years ago. I needed you, Cede. You helped me hold on to a part of me that I thought was lost, and loved me when I had nothing to offer but my heart. And I want you to keep that forever. It hit me a while ago that whatever path I chose to take, it had to include you. Because you're still my constant, always will be, and loving you is what I _know _I want, need, and can do for the rest of my life," his voice broke slightly as a wave of emotion hit and he went down on one knee, "Mercedes, will you marry me?"

Mercedes had started nodding before he finished getting the question out. "YES!" she exclaimed, then stood up repeating, "Yes, yes, yes!" There were tears in her eyes in whole time, but she didn't let them fall until now, for which Sam was grateful. He wanted to at least get through his speech before losing the rein he had on the pressure that was building in his chest from holding in his own.

He slipped the ring on her finger and she pulled him up for a starved kiss. A banner dropped down from the window above the piano that read: "She said yes!" and the courtyard came to life; windows began opening, noisemakers went off, and confetti rained down on the newly engaged couple.

"I didn't know that was going to happen," Sam said, looking up to be greeted with shouts of congratulation as Mercedes continued to hold him tightly, waving up to the strangers and laughing. The sound of mics going live had them turning their eyes to the stage. Tina led Rachel and Kurt in a sweet rendition of "This I Promise You" as their once-hidden friends and family began filing into the courtyard, along with caterers carting in food for the guests.

Mercedes kissed him again and wiped his face clear of tear tracks just as their parents approached them.

"Congratulations!" his mother squealed, hugging Mercedes and then her son. His father shook his shoulder roughly with a hearty laugh.

"Let's see it!" her mother exclaimed, pulling Mercedes' hand up to see the ring, a princess cut amethyst with two diamonds at its sides on a white gold band. "Beautiful," she gushed, stroking a hand across Sam's cheek affectionately.

"Congratulations!" Adrian ran over, grabbing Mercedes and swinging her around in a circle.

Brian bumped him out of the way to hug her tightly, then shook Sam's hand. "Congrats," he said, smiling at them. "You take care of my sister. Or else..." he and Adrian shared a look and turned back to Sam, fists clenched.

"Stop trying to scare the boy," Mr. Jones said, putting an arm over Sam's shoulders. "Like the three of you weren't in the house singing on that video game together last month."

They all had to laugh at that. Sam had been in Ohio one weekend while Mercedes was home for spring break, and while she was out shopping with her mother and Brian's wife, the boys had gotten bored and pulled out Karaoke Revolution. Mr. Jones walked in on them singing Britney Spears and they stopped, embarrassed, but the older man just shook his head with a chuckle and walked out of the room.

Tina, Rachel and Kurt finished singing and joined the big circle of people waiting to congratulate the couple. The emotionally-charged Asian woman already had fresh stream of water running down her cheeks.

"Tina..." Mercedes said, pulling her weeping friend into a hug. "You're going to get me started again."

"I didn't cry all day," Tina said into her hair with a laugh. "I'm so happy for you!" she reached out and grabbed Sam's arm to pull him into the hug with them.

"Aw, I want some love," Mike said, coming behind Tina and wrapping his arms around the trio. They were immediately joined by Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine in a group hug.

"So now we have two weddings to plan!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands enthusiastically as she bounced on her toes. "Sam and Mercedes, you are going to love my ideas. Just ask Tina and Mike! I've already started with them."

Sam looked over at Mike who quickly gave a discreet shake of his head.

"Rachel, let's not freak them out with wedding talk already. They _just _got engaged. Mercedes and Sam should enjoy the stress-free moments while they still can," Kurt replied.

"Stress-free," Sam repeated, huffing out a laugh. The past few months had him so wound up as he planned this proposal. Thankfully, he had help from his friends. Mercedes caught his gaze and smiled coyly at him before some of her former college classmates swarmed and took her away from the group.

"I'm getting married," he said quietly to no one in particular, but Mike heard him and laughed.

"Yes, you are." He handed him a beer. "That break Kurt was talking about? That's going to end after tonight," Mike chaffed, and his eyes widened. "I'm kidding! Sort of..."

"Mike, if you freak him out..." Tina scolded. "Sam, ignore him. All that matters tonight is that you and Mercedes are happily engaged. There's too much going on for wedding talk right now. At least with you." she said, patting his arm. "But I can't wait for girl talk later!" She scurried off with Kurt.

Sam wasn't anywhere close to freaking out. The only thing he could feel right then was extreme happiness. He may as well have been floating, but the influx of people coming to wish him well was keeping him from zoning out completely. He kept an eye on Mercedes as she buzzed around, showing off her ring, and laughing joyfully. Then he looked at the people surrounding them—their family, their friends—who were all nothing short of elated.

He realized they were getting a taste of their future, and, from what it seemed, would never be short on love.


End file.
